"I… I'm not trying to hurt you. So please…"
The fiend seemed to sense Mia's hesitation and spoke gently.
Eventually, she gave up on calling Salamander.
Damn it. I'm too soft for my own good.
"Fine, whatever. Just tell me—what is it that you want?"
"Help me escape this place."
"And how exactly am I supposed to do that?"
"You're heading for the exit now, aren't you? I'll follow you—unseen. All you have to do is not tell your companion."
"Then why don't you just go out on your own? Why follow me?"
"I cannot leave this place alone. I must be attached to a living human in order to escape."
A chill ran down Mia's spine.
"You're not gonna, like… suck out my life force or anything, are you?"
"Nothing of the sort. I merely need to borrow your back for a little while."
"…"
Mia hesitated. Was this fiend telling the truth? What if it was another scam, like with Mithys? Trusting anything in this world seemed foolish.
"I'm… an outsider, like you. I died here fifty years ago."
"What?"
"Yes. I came to this world through a gemstone. But I fell victim to a curse cast by the mage who guarded this cave. I've been a zombie ever since."
"Oh no…"
"Before I died, the mage cursed me—said I would only be free of this undead fate if I escaped alongside a living human. Only then could I return home in peace."
Mia swallowed hard.
"In all those fifty years, everyone who's come here has tried to kill me. You're the first to listen to me. Maybe it's because we come from the same world…"
Mia made up her mind.
"Alright. But you'd better protect me from other monsters while we're getting out of here. Got it?"
The blue zombie's form wavered slightly. Though it had no eyes, it somehow looked… grateful.
"…Of course. Thank you. And please—don't tell anyone about this."
"Fine. Just follow along—and don't hug me again like that. It was gross!"
The blue zombie slowly faded. But a clammy chill settled over her back—it must have latched onto her again. Mia sighed and began to walk.
The cold, wet feeling was awful, but she didn't have much choice.
Still, maybe thanks to her new undead companion, the dark creatures that occasionally appeared turned and fled at the mere sight of her.
Aside from carrying a zombie on her back, nothing else scared her anymore.
And there—far ahead—a faint light glimmered.
Excited, Mia picked up her pace.
Finally, a gap large enough for a person came into view, and through that gap, blinding sunlight poured in.
Mia bolted toward it, desperate to escape the horrible cave.
And as soon as she stepped outside, the clammy feeling on her back vanished like a dream.
A voice whispered near her ear:
"Thank you. As a token of gratitude, I'll share something useful."
"Huh?"
"If you ever face dark magic—smash the mirror first. The enemy will die, and you'll survive."
"Mirror? Dark magic?"
Mia turned, trying to ask more. But the air shimmered where the voice had come from.
A faint, translucent figure in a white sailor uniform slowly disappeared into the sunlight.
"Lady Mia? What was that just now?"
Leca's voice rang out behind her. Mia shrugged guiltily.
"Beats me. No idea."
"…You truly don't know?"
Leca narrowed his eyes and studied her. Mia nodded enthusiastically.
"Really. I don't. Anyway, when did you get here?"
"Just now. But I saw that ghost vanish from your back. Are you alright?"
Mia broke into a cold sweat.
"Yeah… I had no idea. It feels so gross, in hindsight."
Leca frowned with concern.
"I didn't mean to leave you alone somewhere I couldn't protect you. That was my mistake."
Wait… wasn't that exactly what he'd said back at the club with Mithys?
The déjà vu made Mia chuckle to herself.
A dry wind swept across them. It felt like sand filled her mouth.
Looking around, she realized they were standing in the middle of a vast red desert.
Leca's crimson hair blended so perfectly into the backdrop, it was like part of the scenery.
Just then, a sharp pain pinched her near her wings.
"Yowch!!"
Mia whirled around. A silver-haired boy, maybe fifteen years old, stuck out his tongue and zipped around her like lightning.
"Zeffel?! What the hell was that for?!"
"Hehe, sorry! Hi!"
At Leca's voice, the boy skidded to a halt and winked at Mia.
And then she noticed—there were others with him.
"Hey, Leca! What are you doing here?"
"I sensed your aura from a distance—figured I'd come check, and wow, you really were here!"
What… what were these kids?
They looked mostly human, but the blonde one had yellow cat ears and a matching tail. Whiskers adorned his cheeks, and his bright green eyes sparkled mischievously.
"Hi there."
The cat-boy snickered.
Next to him stood another boy with a rougher expression, growling softly.
He looked about the same age, but had a huge silver-gray tail and triangular wolf ears. His pale blue eyes gleamed.
"What are you all doing here, anyway?"
"We could ask you the same thing. What are you doing here, Leca?"
"…Ah, I forgot to introduce them. My apologies, Lady Mia. This is the spirit of air—Zeffel."
"Woah, so this is your girlfriend?! Amazing! You guys came to the desert on a date?!"
The teasing made Mia flustered.
But Leca looked even more embarrassed—his ears turned bright red.
Wait… Leca gets flustered at stuff like this?
"N-no, nothing of the sort. Lady Mia is my pact-bound master. This is a training session."
"Ohhh. So you're that queen candidate we heard about…"
The silver-haired boy leaned in close to her face. Mia stepped back.
Teen boys in their rebellious phase… ugh.
"Hehe. Nice to meet you, lady. I'm Zeffel Castore, spirit of air. I'll be fifteen soon. I run errands at the Sibareth palace."
"Really? I've never seen you before."
"Make sure to say hi if you do!"
He flashed a grin, white teeth gleaming.
A lightning-shaped mark on his forehead caught her eye.
"I'm Kai. I'm a beastfolk."
The cat-eared boy grinned and extended his hand.Mia shook it—it felt human enough, though the claws were long and sharp.
"…I'm Mino."
"Mino is of the wolf clan, within the beastfolk."
Ah, no wonder he reminded me of a Siberian husky.
Mino licked his red tongue over his fangs and stared at her suspiciously, but said nothing else.
"Hey Leca! It's been so long! Beron's waiting over there too. Come on, let's catch up!"
Zeffel chirped.
Leca glanced at Mia, silently seeking permission.
She nodded. It was his day off, after all. He'd only come out here for her training. He deserved to enjoy time with his friends.
"Go have fun, Leca. I'll head back."
"What are you saying, lady? You're coming too! Come on—there's an oasis nearby!"
Before she could reply, the boys dashed off.
Normally Mia would never keep up—but with wings, she easily followed.
They reached the oasis in seconds.
There stood a tall young man with dark brown hair down to his waist and a serious expression.
A four-leaf clover was carved deeply into his forehead.
As soon as he saw Mia, he bowed deeply.
"So you're the queen candidate everyone's been talking about. I'm Beron Leonis, spirit of earth."
"Oh, hello."
Amazing. Until now, she'd only known Leca—now she was meeting both the spirits of air and earth.
"I've heard much about you from Leca."
He blinked his warm brown eyes.
Every time he spoke, the clover marking on his forehead seemed to shimmer slightly.
"Since we've all gathered at the oasis, let's have a swimming race! What do you say, lady? Are you any good at swimming?"
"Of course! I may not look it, but I'm athletic!"
Mia beamed proudly.
Swimming was one of her strengths. She was curious—could Leca swim too?
He was the High Commander of the Knights, after all. Swimming had to be a given, right?
"I might even beat Leca today."
She said playfully.
But Leca replied gently,
"I'm the spirit of fire. If I fall into water… I'll die."
"…Oh."
Right. That made sense.
The spirit world was still a complete mystery.
Then Mia noticed something.
Leca's forehead—was completely bare.
Wait, didn't Zeffel and Beron both have symbols on their foreheads? So did all the royal bloodline nobles in Sibareth. Why doesn't Leca?
"Hey… do fire spirits not have anything on their foreheads? Or are Zeffel and Beron just exceptions?"
At her casual question, Leca's eyes flickered.
But he quickly composed himself and answered calmly.
"…Occasionally, mutations like me are born, Lady Mia."