“Ha?”
“Heh?”
As Filoé and I took a step inside, we both let out strange sounds in perfect unison.
And for good reason.
What spread out before us was a massive hollow space, large enough to easily fit the entire orphanage.
The surrounding walls were solid rock. It looked like the innermost part of a cave, where erosion had continued for hundreds of years.
But unlike a cave, there was a giant hole in the ceiling through which we could see the clear blue sky. Because of that, there was no trace of gloom or eeriness. The ground was covered in soft, grassy turf, and a gentle stream flowed nearby.
—Wait, what the heck is this?
It’s not just that it’s beyond capacity—it’s like the concept of “capacity” itself has gone missing!
“Could it be… this is the skill 【Spatial Expansion】?”
“U-Um…”
Close by, a crystal of Redelia was floating.
Perhaps worried because we were so stunned, she timidly spoke up.
“Master… have I done something wrong again?”
“What are you talking about? Far from being wrong, I’m amazed by how powerful this is. You’re incredible, Redelia.”
When I praised her freely, Filoé nodded repeatedly in agreement, “Yeah, yeah.”
For some reason, Redelia slid back, as if shocked.
“No way… me… ‘incredible’? The word that should be furthest from describing me, how could it…?”
“It’s fine. I’m genuinely complimenting you, so come back here.”
Her low self-esteem… I’ll have to help her improve that bit by bit.
I took another look around.
The temperature was just right. The humidity was pleasantly mild. The water in the stream was so clear that it was probably safe to drink. The sunlight was abundant, and the grassy field seemed like it could grow crops if tilled.
The natural environment was perfectly suitable for people to live in. This is amazing.
Now, the next thing is…
“A house… right?”
“A house, indeed.”
“A house…?”
“By the way, Redelia, just to ask—can you create a house from scratch?”
“If it’s for Master, I can do anything… but, um, what is a ‘house’?”
Ah, right. She’s originally a monster. It’s no wonder she doesn’t know anything about human lifestyles.
She’s so human-like, I forgot.
“A house is where humans live. I’m planning to build one now. Will you help me, Redelia?”
“Y-Yes! I would be honored to help if it’s for Master!”
◆◇◆
About two hours later――.
“Alright. That should do it.”
I let go of Raederia and muttered in satisfaction, wiping the sweat from my forehead.
In the center of the cavern, a white building stood tall. It was a house familiar to both me and Filoé――the Elpida Orphanage was right there.
“Wow!” 『Master, this is amazing!』
Even Raederia, like Filoé, raised an excited voice. I could only respond with a wry smile.
… I was really exhausted. This must be one of the side effects.
Raederia’s skill, 【Cauldron of Droplets】, seemed to be a power that converts life force into various creations. The shape and form of things relied on my imagination as her master.
When she said, 『To unleash my full potential, I will undoubtedly need someone’s assistance,』 this is what she meant.
Well, considering we just built a house and I’m only ‘a little tired,’ the cost-benefit ratio is more than fair.
Filoé, her eyes gleaming, called out from inside the building.
“Isto-san! What should we do about the furniture?”
“I’ll add it later. It might be different from what I remember, so guide me, Filoé.”
“Understood! Can I share a bed with you?”
Hold on a second.
“Aren’t you already 14!? I’ll make you your own, so sleep in that.”
No response.
… Is this what they call being fearlessly naive?
I collected myself and called Raederia. When I asked how to reach the driver’s seat, a nearby rock wall opened up. I could see the outside scenery and the horses’ backsides.
The waterfall basin was still as lush and beautiful as ever.
――But on the flip side, this meant there was absolutely no road for the wagon to travel through.
“Raederia.”
『Yes?』
“If I were to tell you to charge straight through that dense forest ahead――”
Before I could even finish speaking, Raederia’s crystal started shaking mid-air.
Yeah, that’s an unreasonable order. No one wants to get hurt.
『Th-that’s a…a… an outrageous request for something as insignificant as me to try knocking down obstacles!』
“That’s your problem?”
『Um. It’s not impossible, but it would indeed be difficult to proceed.』
I see.
There’s no urgent reason to rush, but we can’t stay in the Rimani Forest forever either. If we clear a path to the waterfall basin, it will surely benefit the kids at the Elpida Orphanage.
How to clear a road, though. I’d rather avoid having Raederia charge through it.
… Time to commit.
“Raederia, I’ll use 【Cauldron of Droplets】. I have something I want to create.”
『But Master, your condition…』
“I’ve already recovered. Besides, I’m the eldest here. I should be the one to set the example.”
I’m probably the weakest among this group, anyway.
――About 20 minutes later.
Having gotten the hang of creation after building the house, I was able to produce what I wanted quicker than expected.
I laid out the items on the ground: shovels, hatchets――mostly tools useful for clearing land.
Among them, one item stood out the most――.
“A spear… is it?”
“Yeah.”
It was about 1.5 meters long, roughly the same height as Filoé. The blade resembled an axe, so it might be more appropriate to call it a small poleaxe.
Admiring its slender and beautiful shape, Filoé muttered, “It’s beautiful…”
“I’m giving this to you, Filoé.”
“What!? R-really!?”
I nodded.
In truth, ever since I learned about Raederia’s skill, I’d been considering whether or not to arm Filoé――to give her the power to fight.
I didn’t take her in to use her as a pawn. Giving a spear to someone who already possesses a powerful combat skill like 【Flash Thrust】 felt contradictory. So I hesitated.
But I’ve made up my mind.
Filoé has talent.
Not just the gifted skill, but her fearless nature makes her suited to being a ‘knight,’ in my opinion. Filoé might even join the prestigious Royal Knights someday.
It wouldn’t hurt for her to get accustomed to wielding a weapon and using her skill now.
“I want you to use this spear to carve out your own future. I believe you have the talent to master it, to become a knight.”
“Isto-san…”
“Well, for now, I just want to borrow the power of your 【Flash Thrust】… Will you accept it, Filoé?”
She looked down and tightly hugged the spear to her chest. “I’m so happy. I’m really happy that you thought this much about me,” she said, her voice trembling.
She wiped her tear-filled eyes and turned to me with a beaming smile.
“I’ll treasure your feelings, Isto-san. I’ll become a great knight who won’t bring shame to you, and I’ll protect you, always and forever.”
I swallowed the words, “You don’t need to protect me.”
Filoé wiped away her tears and smiled.
“Now, let’s give this spear a name right away.”
“A name?”
“Yes! Since it’s such a fine spear, and more importantly, it’s a gift from Isto-san, it needs a name that will make me excited to hold it. Oh! How about this, Isto-san? How does ‘Spear-Spear-Spearich’ sound?”
“Please stop.”
Filoé’s naming sense…
◆◇◆
From then on, we cleared trees and leveled the ground to make a path that Raederia could pass through. At the same time, this work created a new road leading from the sacred waterfall to the Elpida Orphanage.
The greatest help during this task was Filoé’s 【Flash Thrust】 and her new spear, Enestea――a name I ended up giving it. No matter how large the trees or rocks, they shattered like thin ice before the 【Flash Thrust】 unleashed from Enestea.
Filoé was enthusiastic at first, but eventually, she wore herself out and collapsed. Even a gifted skill has its limits. Realizing that alone was a valuable takeaway.
We didn’t make it through the forest that day and spent the night there.
It was a lively night, something I hadn’t experienced in a long time.
A peaceful night, too, after a long while.
… Though I was troubled by Filoé persistently trying to sneak into my bed.
And the next day.
As we were finally about to exit the Rimani Forest, we encountered a disturbing event.
An earthquake had struck.
