"A sign of the spirits: ......?


　I look at Frené in surprise.


　Frené was sitting on top of my head, but then she floated up into the air and approached a small puddle.



"Oh, Frené, don't come too close, you might get hurt.
I'm fine. Lerunda doesn't have a bad feeling about this, does she?　I don't have a bad feeling either. Besides, ...... this girl here doesn't have that kind of power.



　That's what Fresne says to my words. She looks a little sad as she touches the water.
　Fresne is sitting on a large stone around it.




"This girl ......?
"Yes. There's some sort of spirit residue here. This little tree is ...... probably a piece of the spirit tree that was a resting place for the spirits that used to reside here.
"This is a spirit tree?


　I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's a good idea. A small, powerless tree like this is a spirit tree?
　I don't think it's the same as the spirit tree that had its power sucked out by that plant demon. I don't know, this one just seems to have gotten smaller and smaller as nature would have it.


　And indeed, when I looked at it consciously, I could feel the presence of spirits in this place.


　I was wondering why I was looking into that little puddle with Fresne.





I think a spirit tree originally existed here. "I think the spirit tree was originally here, and over time it gave birth to a tree, a fragment of which remains. Maybe the inherited spirit tree is in a different place.
I see. You said that it was not a place where people could live due to the thickening of the magic. Maybe this place is no place for spirits to live?
"Yes. I think it has become a place that is difficult for spirits to live in. This is why the spirits either died or went to the new spirit tree with the dwelling tree. ......


　Frené is still staring at the surface of the water as she says this.


　Doanea said that the concentration of magic has become so high that it is no longer possible for people to live here. Spirits are more sensitive to magic than people and are affected by it.
　That's probably why the spirit trees in this place were moved from this place. Pieces and remnants of the spirit tree from long ago still remain here. It's strange.



"The stones around here are also ...... spirit stones. You can take them home and use them for various purposes.
Genie stones can be found in places where there is something related to spirits.
Yes. That's because the spirits were here a long time ago. After a long time, they became spirit stones like this. There must have been water spirits here.
"Water Spirit....... I see, there was once a water god's son here, wasn't there?


　The water gods loved him.
　There was a child who was loved by the water gods. I'm sure that the spirit tree here was home to the water spirits that the gods had befriended in the past.


　When I think about it, I have a strange feeling.


　There were indeed spirits here in the past. And in this decayed place, people were certainly living and making a living.




Ah.
Frené, what's wrong?



　Freneh, who was looking at the small pond, shouted as if she had noticed something.



　Did he notice something?
　I didn't know what Frené had noticed.




"...... is still alive.
What?
"The little genie is alive. I'm surprised. Even though this place has become a difficult place for both humans and spirits to live, it's still here. It's lost most of its power, but I guess that's why it's been here for ...... so long.



　The spirits are alive, Frené says.


　The small pond seems to be reasonably deep.
　Freneh says they are underneath a tree that grows out of the water, protected by the tree.



　I strain my eyes and look there consciously.




　In something transparent like a membrane, there is something in the shape of a small girl - curled up, looking smaller than it is. Her eyes are closed, and she seems to be trying not to lose her strength, not to use it badly.




"Wow. ......


　I look at the little girl with the light blue hair and marvel at her.





"Hey, Frené. What's going to happen to her?
If we don't do anything, she'll just disappear. That spirit has no place to rest. It can't build up its strength. He must have been a very powerful spirit to begin with. That's why she's still here. But it's too late.
"It's going away?　Can't you do something about it?




　I didn't want the spirit in front of me, the one that had managed to survive, to just disappear like this.
　So, I asked Fresne.




You're right. ....... I think they can still survive if Lernda, the divine child, gives them magic power. It's not a great match with Lelanda, the divine child of the God of Heaven, but for the spirits, Lelanda's magic power will help us spirits.



　Fresne sits down on a stone and looks at the tiny little genie in the water with her eyes closed and tells her so.


　There is a difference between which gods love a child - and which spirits are compatible with them. I'm loved by the gods of heaven, so I'm good with flying creatures and the wind spirit Frene. However, water spirits are not as good. But Freneh says that the magical power of the divine child can be used regardless of which god loves it.
　If Fresne the spirit says it, then it must be true.



　So let's get started. So, I tried to touch the water. Just then, Freneh calls out to stop you.



But Lern Da. The spirit itself might not want to do that. I'm sure that spirit was here because it wanted to stay, even if it had to cut itself, even if it had to disappear. Otherwise, that spirit that would have been so powerful would not have stayed here. The spirit that stayed here might have wanted to disappear here.
　That's why you have to listen carefully before you do anything. Even if Lerunda's magic heals them, they might get angry if they don't want to be healed.



　When Fresne said that, I realized that was also true.


"Yeah. I'll talk to him then.


　I nodded at Frené's words, and this time I really spoke to the water spirit.




　--The Girl and the Ruins 5
　(The girl discovers a small spirit in the depths of a small pond)