Spirit.
In the world of Ntrpg, spirits were classified as a type of ethereal monster.
Unlike undead creatures like wraiths or banshees, which come from human souls, these monsters originated from the souls of beasts or pure magical energy.
They weren’t as savage as grotesque monsters like goblins or vengeful undead directed at the living… but nonetheless, a monster is a monster. They weren’t beneficial to humans.
They took pleasure in playing all sorts of tricks on humans, which they thought were just fun, but often led to humans getting killed or maimed.
First up, the Fire Spirit loved to ignite the fireplace and burn down houses. It even preferred this little prank done while everyone was asleep in the dead of night, citing that flames extinguished quickly during the day.
The Wind Spirit enjoyed grabbing people on high ledges and taking a tumble with them. While they could handle a fall thanks to being half-ethereal, those involved typically ended up splattered on the ground.
The Earth Spirit primarily appeared in front of fleeing individuals and delighted in creating little rocks to trip them up. As for those who fell while sprinting away? Well, their fates were sealed.
Finally, the Water Spirit was a monster that entranced people with its beautiful appearance and enjoyed drowning them. If someone fell in and was somewhat clean, it might let them go after a bit of trickery, but if they were dirty, they’d be submerged deep for a day before being retrieved.
Of course, in a medieval fantasy world full of uncouth individuals, finding a person with proper hygiene was a rare occurrence.
Especially for adventurers, who often faced homelessness and combat, bathing was a rare luxury; thus, the Water Spirit was simply a monster that lured humans and drowned them.
It had its benefits, like purifying lakes and rivers, but that only really mattered to wild beasts.
Having clean water didn’t make sense when humans were too afraid of drowning to utilize it properly.
To put it differently, killing the Water Spirit residing in our lake wasn’t a heinous act, but rather something to be praised.
Unless some nature-loving elf had released their spirit into that lake, we had merely eliminated a murderous spirit that previously tossed travelers into its depths.
“…I never expected to kill it just by bathing.”
Maybe it was due to Ganagl’s bodily fluids?
To us, it was just a smelly sludge, but it seemed that the spirit found the bodily fluids of a mutated monster filled with abyssal power lethal, surpassing even ordinary toxins.
“Well, you’ve scrubbed well…”
Having washed up and returned to the lakeshore, Friede let out a sigh, looking at the completely contaminated lake with a look of disbelief.
The water, now rapidly becoming murky after the spirit’s demise, had turned into a dark green swamp.
The refreshing clarity was entirely gone, replaced by a putrid stench, as clumps of dirt and tentacle-like debris lazily swirled through the lake’s surface.
“Now, no one can wash anymore.”
“Um, maybe in about fifty years or so, it might clear up again?”
“Well, who knows…”
I squeezed out my wet hair, staring at the floating carcasses of fish and crustaceans that had flipped belly up on the water’s surface.
…Even if factory waste flowed into the river, it seemed less harmful than this.
What was once a mystical magical lake had now transformed into a death swamp.
We washed up just in time; a little longer, and it would’ve made no difference whether we had bathed or not.
“Anyway, we should probably dry off our clothes first… It doesn’t smell great here, does it?”
As I finished washing, Friede seemed to start noticing the surrounding stench, covering her nose lightly.
“Yeah, let’s move spots.”
I nodded. Staying here too long would just allow the smell to seep back into the clothes I just rinsed.
◆◆
After roughly cleaning the dirty saddle with our drinking water, we walked for about ten minutes and settled down to sit by a campfire.
The crackling sound as the fire flared up warmed my wet clothes and hair.
“Ahh… it’s warm…”
Friede smiled brightly as she stretched her arms towards the fire, cherishing the warmth, while I rummaged through my bag, pulling out pots and preserved food.
Since we had a campfire going, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to have breakfast before setting off.
It was still daylight, and despite the midnight hours being behind us, the sun had risen high, casting light all around.
With the fire lit, we likely wouldn’t be noticed, so I figured we could afford to take a little time for a meal.
“Let’s see… dried carrots and turnips, some jerky, and a pinch of salt… Oh, I think that grass over there is edible too?”
I tossed the ingredients into a pot of boiling water and picked some herb-like plants from the weeds nearby to wash and add in.
“Hey, Hilde. Can I help with something?”
While I was busy making the jerky stew on the spot, Friede, who had been basking in the fire’s warmth, timidly asked if there was anything she could assist with.
Seeming a bit guilty for just lounging while I prepared, she was likely just trying to pitch in.
“It’s fine; I’m almost done, so just relax.”
I replied with a smile, assuring her there was no need for her to help. Not out of consideration for her but to protect my taste buds.
‘You can’t cook worth a lick.’
It seemed Friede had no self-awareness, but the food she made last time was as dreadful as the stench of the sludge we had just killed the spirit in.
Had she been a mere baggage handler, her cooking alone would have earned her immediate expulsion from the party.
I could imagine the party members who had kicked her out regretfully celebrating their decision while hiring a way better pack mule.
That’s how bad Friede’s food tasted.
Though she looked at me with eager eyes, I painfully forced a smile while lying that it was delicious.
Of course, I wasn’t exactly a gourmet chef either, but I could at least whip up a decent stew with preserved food, given my time wandering alone and being an adventurer.
“How’s that? I used what little I had…”
“It’s so good! I could eat it for a lifetime!”
Friede exclaimed, bubbling with excitement after tasting the stew.
“Hehe, I guess you must’ve been starving. Saying you could eat it for a lifetime is just an exaggeration.”
I chuckled lightly, sipping from the bowl of stew.
Seriously, that was a stretch. Honestly, one could get better meals at a city eatery for just one or two silver coins.
“Ugh… that’s not what I meant…”
“Huh? What was that?”
Friede muttered something under her breath, but I didn’t quite catch it while blowing on my bowl of stew to cool it down.
“Oh, it’s nothing. Just that, um, the stew is a bit hot.”
Well, it seemed like a pointless mumbled remark anyway.
“Take your time eating. You might burn yourself if you rush.”
“Yeah, I’ll be careful!”
Friede nodded with a smile, her dried and fluffy hair gently swaying like wool.
======[ Heid ]======
‘I’m a step too late…’
The young warrior, Heid, with blonde hair and red eyes, tsked and murmured internally as he followed the Abyss Priest Ganagl Peytan.
Before him lay a ruin.
As if a landslide had occurred, rock hills lay crumbled and gouged out, with clear signs of being flattened. A foul stench of blood seeped deep into the damp earth, strong enough that it hinted at the slaughter of dozens, if not more.
Though there were no bloodstains or corpses, it wasn’t hard to deduce what had transpired from the traces left incomplete due to time.
‘There’s someone who dared snatch my prey…’
Heid frowned in displeasure.
Somewhere, someone else had found Ganagl before him and engaged in combat.
Given that Ganagl’s trail ended abruptly here, it appeared that the unknown culprit had slaughtered both Ganagl and his cultists.
To Heid, this was a deep insult. Someone was robbing a future king of his achievements.
This was a grave sin that warranted being torn limb from limb and hung in public.
Though he had no clue who this thief was, now was not the time to pursue.
“Heid.”
From behind, a man with short red hair approached and bowed.
He wore a short sword at his waist, a shield in his left hand, and had a long bow diagonally slung across his back—a patroller with a notoriously fierce glare.
“Vitege, did you catch them?”
Heid turned to ask, his gaze now fixed on the patroller.
Unlike the Diarin and Diren sisters, who were somewhat of a nuisance, Vitege was one of the chosen members of the party—a key player. He shook his head in defeat.
“I’m sorry. I thought I had them, but that feathered thief managed to cast ‘Shadow Veil’.”
As Heid’s party reached the rocky hill, the man wearing a feathered mantle had hastily fled.
Heid had ordered Vitege to apprehend them, but alas, it failed.
“‘Shadow Veil’? Is it the Goddess Church’s assassins?”
The fleeing culprits, just as they entered the shaded woods, activated Shadow Veil to hide.
“Yes. Not only that, but they also used ‘Night’s Silence’ and vanished. Both were Church rogues. There was a risk of being ambushed if we pursued them further, so we had to retreat.”
With the addition of another rogue capable of suppressing presence, even seasoned patrollers like Vitege had no choice but to give up the chase.
“Goddess Church assassins…? I can’t follow.”
Heid muttered with doubt.
Seeing two rogues cast their spells indicated that the thief who had stolen his achievements was most likely an assassin trained by the Goddess Church.
The problem was that there should be no reason for the Goddess Church to interfere with him in such a manner.
‘This doesn’t add up. If they wanted to interfere, they would have sent Paladins to collaborate instead. If that’s the case…’
Logically speaking, there was little reason for the Goddess Church to obstruct his pursuit of Ganagl.
The warrior and the church enjoyed a loosely bound yet firm partnership.
Especially since Heid, being of royal blood, had built a deep rapport with the church that went beyond any other warrior’s connection.
“…Could it be that rogues have leaked out? I’m curious about who would dare to do such a thing.”
Thus, it seemed far more likely that rogues had slipped from the church than for the Goddess Church to ambush him.
“Is there a church building in Svinarant? We need to send them a letter regarding this matter.”
“Yes, Heid.”
As Vitege nodded and rose to his knees, he walked down the rocky hill alongside Heid.
Their destination was the lakeside city of Svinarant.
The thief who had stolen the warrior’s accomplishments needed to be reported to the church, and it was high time they requested assistance in locating that rogue.
