Chapter 21
To the Sanctuary of Water
The group had left the main road and were now descending through the forest.
The woods were thick and dim, with only the occasional bird call breaking the silence.
The air was rich with the scent of greenery, and they had to step carefully—each step through the damp undergrowth was slippery.
What made it worse was that every time they pushed through the tall grass, clouds of insects would burst into the air.
Lilith had crushed some herbs to make an insect repellent, diluted it with water, and smeared it on their legs to keep the worst of them away.
Even so, Ai and Yoko, who were city girls through and through, spent the first stretch screaming and running from every bug that came near them.
But after a while, even they began to settle down.
Their chatter died away, and the forest grew quieter again.
“Finally tired out, huh? You two are way too energetic,”
Yoshii said, half amazed and half exasperated.
“Oh, please! Screaming like that is exhausting!
But seriously, why do we have to go through this kind of place just to meet that ‘Sealoon’?
There’s a temple downstream, right? Why can’t we just go there?”
She wasn’t wrong. The road to the temple was much easier.
They had even met some pilgrims along the way, who had taken the gentler path along the mountain’s base before parting ways.
“There is a road to the temple, isn’t there?” Kian added, sounding unconvinced.
“Yes,” Lilith replied softly. “That temple was built by humans.
Water is essential to life, so Lady Sealoon allows it.
However, she rarely approaches the temple downstream.
She dwells high upstream, deep within a gorge where no one dares to go.
It is a sacred domain where she does not meet with people.”
“So basically, she’s a recluse? Then what’s the point of building a temple?”
Ai tilted her head. “Hey, Lilith—have you ever met her?”
“Ah, please… just call me Lilith. I’m sorry.”
Lilith bowed his head, embarrassed. Being addressed with honorifics didn’t sit well with him, having been raised as a servant.
“Of course! Why would we call you ‘Miss Lilith’?”
Kian snorted, glaring at Ai and Yoko with irritation.
“What?! You mean we can really just call him Lilith? Oh my gosh!”
The girls squealed, though not for the reasons Kian expected.
“Hey, you girls! Why does being called by name make you so happy? You’ve called me by name from the start—how is that fair?”
“Because you’re annoying, Kian,” Yoshii muttered flatly.
“C’mon, Lilith,” Yoshii said with a grin. “Loosen up your speech a bit. You don’t have to be so formal.”
“Yeah! No fancy talk between friends!” Ai chimed in.
“I-I’m terribly sor—”
“Nooo! Like this! Say, ‘Sorry, sorry, my bad!’ Go on!”
“Eh?! I couldn’t possibly…”
He blushed deeply, flustered and adorable.
“Come on! Say it—‘Sorry, sorry!’”
“Sorry… sorry… please forgive—”
“You don’t need the ‘please’ part! Just ‘sorry!’”
“Ah—um—sorry… m-my bad…”
“Can’t hear you! Louder! ‘Sorry, sorry, my bad!’”
They repeated it over and over, laughing until their sides hurt.
The teasing of Lilith filled the forest with laughter, chasing away the lingering loneliness.
“You fools… such nonsense,” Kian muttered, though even he watched them with an amused look.
“Please, forgive them, Lady Ai,” Lilith said with a polite bow. “We are almost at our destination.
However, we must climb down a small cliff to reach the river. Please prepare yourselves.”
“A—a cliff?! No way! I can’t do that!”
“Me neither! I hate heights!”
“M-me too…”
Now it was Lilith’s turn to smirk.
“Well then, what shall we do? Hmm… if I recall, there’s also a rather large bear in this forest called a Gringa, isn’t there? Heh heh…”
Everyone’s faces went pale—including Kian’s.
“Ugh…”
Suddenly, Yoko spun around.
“Hey, Zarel! You’re big and strong—carry me down, will you? I’m light, it’ll be easy!”
…Silence.
Of course, there was no reply.
For someone asking a favor, her tone was far too bossy.
“Zarel,” Lilith said, smiling mischievously, “what do you think?”
Zarel looked at Lilith, bowed his head slightly… and it seemed, for just a moment, as though he smirked.
“I refuse.”
“Knew it!!”
The answer was disappointing but entirely predictable.
Still, the fact that Zarel answered at all was rare.
He seemed closer to Lilith than to anyone else, and the two schoolgirls exchanged curious glances, giggling.
Then—whooosh!
A fierce wind swept through the gorge.
When Lilith had said they’d need to “climb down a little,” clearly his idea of little was different from theirs.
Following his direction, they got down on all fours and peered over the edge.
Far, far below, a river flowed—slow and gentle for something so high upstream.
The drop was dizzying; just looking down made their heads spin.
“W-we’re not really going down there, are we?”
Lilith smiled serenely at their terrified faces.
“Have you ever wished you could fly?”
A cold sweat broke out all over them.
“Sure, I’ve wished it—but I don’t want to die trying! Don’t joke about that!”
“Then, shall we?”
“Indeed,” came Zarel’s calm reply.
“Wait—what?!”
“Eh?!”
“W-wait a sec—!”
“Eeeeeek!!”
At Lilith’s signal, Zarel gave them all a mighty shove off the cliff.
“GYAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!”
And then he himself leapt after them.
“Wind, become our wings—Feed!”
FWOOOSH!!
GOOOOHH!!
“Eeeek!!”
“KYAAA! AAAHH!”
A powerful updraft surged from below, wrapping around each of them like invisible arms.
The wind cradled their bodies gently, slowing their fall until, one by one, they floated safely down to the riverbank.
