Chapter: The Fire Spirit.
I decided to hear what the higher fire spirit had to say.
According to it, the fairies wanted a safe place to live. To make that happen, they had wiped out the monsters that originally inhabited this sand castle.
As for the pile of magic stones stacked in the corner of the room, the spirit said they were useless to it, so we could take them.
And, just like always, it complained about the treasure chest sitting in front of the throne, saying it was in the way.
Apparently, it had even tried to burn the chest to ash with fire magic, but failed.
So I explained that if you open the chest and take what’s inside, the box dissolves into particles of light and disappears.
The higher fire spirit immediately urged me to try it.
First, I asked Anemone to check for traps.
She carefully inspected the chest, then nodded repeatedly.
I turned to Misuzu, who adored treasure chests. “No traps. It’s safe to open.”
Eyes shining, Misuzu practically skipped to the chest and threw it open.
Inside was a sword.
She reached in and tried to lift it, but it was far too heavy for her.
“Ugh, it’s too heavy! Takaya, help me!”
I stepped in, grasped the sword, and easily lifted it.
At that moment, the chest dissolved into particles of light and vanished.
…Huh?
The sword felt almost weightless in my hands.
Why?
Misuzu immediately cast an appraisal.
“This sword… it has some kind of disguise on it.”
“Pierce through!” she declared, activating her Skill.
Her eyes widened. “Takaya! This is a Holy Sword! Only a Hero can wield it!”
“Its name is Fragarach. It controls the wind and has the power to reveal truth itself.”
The branch manager and the others, having overheard, hurried over.
“Takaya, let me hold it for a moment.”
“Sure. Go ahead.”
I handed it over, and the branch manager instantly staggered, dropping the blade to the floor.
“My apologies…” He bent to pick it up again, but couldn’t so much as budge it.
“You two, help me!” he barked.
The other two employees—excluding the one still recording—rushed over. Together, the three of them strained to lift the sword.
It didn’t move an inch.
Just as Misuzu had said, only someone with the Hero Job could wield it.
The branch manager sighed and gave up.
…That left me with a new problem. How was I supposed to bring this sword back?
My pouch was already packed full with the entire set of earth spirit equipment. There was no room left.
And carrying a naked blade around was far too dangerous.
I racked my brain, but came up empty.
The branch manager spoke up. “Takaya, will it fit in here?” He set down the rucksack he had been carrying.
I slowly lowered the blade into the bag.
It slid inside without issue.
“Whew… success.” I let out a relieved breath.
The Holy Sword Fragarach was now safely stored.
Now, on to the spirits.
I asked the higher fire spirit, “Would it be possible to form a contract with one of the fire fairies or spirits?”
It replied that if a fairy or spirit was willing on its own, then there was no problem.
So I called out, “Is there anyone who would like to form a contract with me?”
The lower fire spirit who had guided us through the castle earlier fluttered over and stopped in front of me.
It seemed this child wished to contract with me.
“Your name will be Dahlia,” I declared.
《Contract established with the lower fire spirit Dahlia.》
The mechanical voice echoed in my head.
“Yes! I did it! I made a contract with a fire fairy!”
“Congratulations, Takaya!” Misuzu said with a bright smile.
Afterward, the higher fire spirit told us we could freely use any unused rooms.
So we climbed the stairs to the top floor.
As with the Sky Castle, I would take the king’s chamber, and Misuzu the queen’s.
Looking out the window, I saw the ground below was riddled with antlion pits, and in the distance a massive sandstorm—like a wall of shifting sand that rejected all who dared approach.
The view was not exactly pleasant.
But above the castle stretched a clear blue sky, filled with sunlight.
The branch manager and his men insisted it would be improper for them to enter the women’s chambers, so they came to my room instead, recording both the interior and the scenery outside.
“We’ll probably never get another chance to come here,” the manager remarked.
Without the ability to fly, reaching this sand castle would indeed be impossible, so they said they had no need of a room here.
I fetched Misuzu from the adjoining chamber, and we all gathered in mine.
Together, we shared lunch.
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