Chapter 57 - Skybound Tomb (3)

They were sounds of the wild.

The resonance of nature where peace and struggle coexist.

And riding above them, was one strange sound.

Tong-tong—

Eyes and ears were both disturbed by the same thing, not separate ones.

It was Rei floating in the sky.

Like a child on their first trampoline, Rei was taking an aerial stroll using her newly acquired unique magic.

It was a name that made one feel like someone should hold her hand.

Should I hold Rei’s hand?

Probably shouldn’t, it’s not like I can fly.

While having such idle thoughts, I said to Rei, "...Want to come down?"

Stop ruining my beautiful Abyss scenery, you brat.

"Why? You're the one who said practice is important."

"But do you really have to practice in front of me?"

"Hmm..."

As if reluctant to say it herself, Rei stopped walking and crossed her arms.

A confident smile played on her lips.

"Tsk, I don't even need this really, but why is it so annoying?"

That subtle smile in her eyes was... irritating. It was the kind of irritation that got under one’s skin.

Charming yet vexing.

A curious smile of the eyes that simultaneously evoked two words sharing the same root but carrying opposite meanings.

Tong-tong—

"Hey, I'm not the only one who received something," Rei said while returning to the Floating Island from her aerial stroll.

"So shouldn't you cut me some slack?"

The altar's owner.

The arrangements kept by the being in the coffin who made the Floating Island a tomb weren't limited to the air-walking ability given to Rei, which she named Azurail.

I and Leaf each received something too.

Unlike the trap altar underground, no grand sacrifices were needed. We just had to give a little blood for rewards.

Finding such a generous ruin must be as rare as catching a star or finding a needle on a beach.

Thinking about it that way, it might have been better that Rei went first.

While it could be selecting appropriate inheritances from those stored, there was also a possibility it was just the order of sequence.

If Rei alone had received something, even she wouldn't be showing off so blatantly in front of us.

...I believed so, at least.

"What about Leaf?"

"Same as you."

Leaf's reward was a spirit.

Fitting for a floating island in the sky, Leaf inherited a contract with an air spirit.

Just as Hecate inherited a pact with a Devil through her bloodline inheritance from previous generations.

This further supported my hypothesis that specific inheritances were granted based on compatibility.

Yet I couldn't be certain because what I received was far too strange.

Anyway, Leaf said the air spirit was a stronger spirit than her Undine.

But having just contracted it, she was focusing on building rapport, unsure if she could raise its output to match Undine's level.

"Hey."

Rei landed on the Floating Island and squatted beside me as I laid on the slope.

"What do you think Leaf is?"

"...What do you mean?"

"Are you pretending not to know? Or do you really not know?"

Obviously the former.

When I didn't answer, Rei made her own judgment and continued, "Don't pretend. Even I notice it with my poor intuition, you must definitely know."

"Poor intuition? What about your beast instincts?"

"That's why my intuition is poor. Everything gets transmitted too clearly."

We decided to call that intuition, Rei-Rei.

Whether you notice through superior analytical and deductive abilities, or just caught it instinctively through good sense, aren't both forms of intuition?

"Anyway. What do you think?"

"Hmm..."

What is Leaf?

An ordinary Half-Elf?

Probably not.

Her almost obsessive habit of wearing a hood seemed insufficient to explain with a Half-Elf complex.

"But do we really need to know?"

"Huh?"

"Well, I haven't been completely honest about myself either, so should we really demand that from Leaf?"

"I told everything though?"

Rei stared at me with wide eyes.

Right… she did.

Rei had revealed everything about her origins and why she came to Res Limen.

I couldn’t argue with that.

But it wasn’t like we forced her to tell us.

While she might feel disappointed, that didn't give Rei the right to demand Leaf reveal her secrets.

"We don't need to dig up secrets. Especially if she doesn't want to reveal them."

"Ugh... I guess so...?"

Rei scratched her head while groaning.

Her gestures and voice clearly conveyed her frustration.

"If you're that curious, just ask her."

"Should I?" Rei's face brightened as she asked back.

"But if Leaf doesn't want to answer, don't push it."

"...I know that much."

Grumbling, Rei followed my example and quietly gazed at the Floating Island's scenery, then flopped down beside me.

She spread out completely, causing her arm to land right on my neck.

"Hey."

"I think I won't ask after all."

I moved Rei's arm aside and asked, "Why?"

"It just… feels meaningless if I have to ask. She'll tell us someday, probably."

Rei giggled at something funny.

Drawn by her laughter, a shadow fell over our heads.

"What is it? Were you having a fun conversation?"

"We were talking about you behind your back."

"Eh...? R-really? That's, that's a lie! Really, Roman?"

I chuckled along with Rei at Leaf's innocent reaction.

For a while, boisterous laughter spread across the Floating Island.

§

"Now we need to decide."

At my words, Rei and Leaf stared at each other sharply.

"Let's go down."

"Let's go up."

Words simultaneously from both mouths.

This indicates the purpose of our current meeting.

The debate all Abyss Explorers face every moment.

Go down, or go up.

Whether to stop exploring here and go up for rest and resupply, or continue exploring—this was the number one cause of party conflicts.

Even regular expedition teams with clear leadership sometimes face this issue, showing its importance.

"We're out of food. Water we can manage with Undine and water gathering magic, but it's too dangerous without food."

"We can just hunt and eat monsters as we go."

"Absolutely not!"

Leaf flatly refused, clearly showing she'd rather starve.

Is it an Elf thing?

But she ate well enough when it was properly cooked and served.

"What's the problem? Besides, by the Third or Fourth Floor, supplies have limits anyway so you end up relying on monsters. Consider this practice."

Rei pulled out her trump card, basically saying, “So you won’t go below the Third Floor?”

But Leaf wasn't backing down.

"I believe in Roman."

"Huh?"

Why am I being brought into this?

"He'll become a spatial magic master and increase this backpack's capacity dozens or hundreds of times!"

My spatial magic is limited to movement though?

And even if we solve volume, what about weight?

Even though Rei has good basic physical abilities and abundant mana, she couldn't maintain physical enhancement all day.

"It'd be faster for Roman to remotely transfer supplies from Res Limen to our location."

Rei's rebuttal silenced Leaf.

"Besides, we can restock supplies at the gate leading to the Second Floor."

"...That's possible?"

"What did you learn at the training center?"

"Eh, ehe."

Leaf made a foolish smile.

No, right now she really was foolish.

"They taught us at the training center. There are base camps at gates up to the Third Floor."

"...But won't it be expensive?"

"Several times more expensive?"

The Second Floor gate might be dozens of times more, the Third Floor gate hundreds of times more.

“Ya got money, Rei?"

"..."

Now Rei fell silent.

Under Leaf's emotionless stare, Rei slowly turned her head away.

Yeah, yeah.

I know.

You're both broke.

"I have money."

"...Roman says he has money."

"Rei, that's not our money. It's Roman's money."

There wasn’t a need to draw such a clear line, but Leaf’s resolve was firm. 

My money was my money.

Rei and Leaf should bear their own shares equal to what I contribute.

Leaf's argument was so reasonable and valid that Rei couldn't say anything.

"W-we can keep it as debt! We'll pay it back in full and then some when we go up and settle accounts with what we got this time."

That was also true.

Just selling the magic cores from monsters we've caught so far would more than cover that much.

Seeing my approval, Leaf reluctantly agreed.

"Haa, fine. But this won't do. From now on, we should set aside party funds before departing."

"Well said."

"...Understood."

This debate concluded with Leaf's precise organization being added to future party rules.

"It's decided then. We're going down. Let's at least hit the Second Floor."

"You know the way?"

"I got it from the Signpost Tree."

Our destination was decided, and we knew the path.

With no need for further delay, we immediately prepared to descend from the Floating Island. 

While Rei stretched to warm up before using Azurail to descend on her own, Leaf looked around and asked, "Roman? Where's our Stingray?"

"What are you talking about? The flying ray was summoned by Sean. I just seized control. Of course, it's gone."

"...What? Then how are we getting down?"

I gave Leaf a very clear answer to her question.

"We jump."

We could just Blink before hitting the ground, we might roll a bit at most.

But why did Leaf's already pale face turn even whiter?

Ah~ this'll be fun.

It’ll probably be better than bungee jumping.