"Your Grace, you do not need to worry about this. On my name, Adellia Gravos, I swear on my honor that I will be harmed first before any harm comes to Faith." Hearing Adel swear on such a thing left me feeling strange inside. Why would Adel protect me over her own life?
"Adel, please retract that statement. Your life is not something that should be taken lightly." I really couldn't have Adel sacrificing herself for me at some point to uphold her word. I mean, I have mana shield! What can hurt me unless it is indirect? The last thing I want on my consciousness is Adel being seriously hurt or ending up dead thinking she is protecting me.
"No, I will not!" Adel immediately refused. Looking at her serious expression, I could only sigh. I guess I can only promise inwardly that I will keep her safe if anything were to happen.
I guess Adel was happy with me giving in so easily because her puffed out cheeks quickly turned into a satisfied smile. The leader of the spirits looked back and forth between us and nodded his head. "I see you are both close, which is good. Child of dragons, I must ask you to look over this kingdom as well. Over the years, this kingdom has always held true to its promises and has made sure my lands are peaceful and kept safe from any of the other races. My spirit race is not one that can fight easily, and when we do, it will bring devastation to the lands even if it is not the fault of those who live upon them. But we are also not a race that can be created easily as we are all born from the planet itself. So I ask that if those from outside this kingdom come to invade these lands that you assist the kingdom in warding them off. If you do this for me, I will be sure that your home village will always have a bountiful harvest."
I gazed up at the leader of the spirits who was trying to make a deal with me in surprise. I guess he truly can see everything in this kingdom. But this was not a bad deal. It would not only help my family out but also aligned with my goal in life anyway. "You have my word. If war breaks out, I will be on the front lines defending this land. I also do not wish to see anyone taint these lands of yours. Not when so many cute spirits live here."
"Then I give you my thanks. It looks like this kingdom will have a prosperous future with this child helping it out." I kinda felt embarrassed. I have done nothing, but the leader of the spirits kept showering me with praise. I now had to live up to his expectations and keep my end of the bargain, so that my family, no matter how long they live for, will always have good lives. For farmers having a bountiful harvest every year is something that brings life and energy into their passion.
My father loved working in the fields, and so did my brother. My brother will one day take over for my father as he grows older and will also have his own family grow more and more. The more they can harvest each year, the more they can sell to the merchants. It would then allow them to provide for the new Cyrilia that are born. A faint smile formed on my lips, thinking about it. My nephew will one day grow up and have kids, and his kids will also grow old and have children of their own. I just hope each one of them will live peaceful and eventful lives full of happiness. And I….. I will watch quietly from the side.
"Faith?" Adel called out to me, breaking me out of my thoughts.
I looked over at her and smiled. "Thank you for bringing me here today, Adel."
"Hehe, I just wanted you to see this place." Adel blushed slightly. But I am really glad I got to come here. I got to see such an amazing place. This will always be a day I will remember.
We ended up talking with the leader of the spirits for a while before saying our goodbyes, but before we left the mountain, a voice entered our ears. "Child of the dragons, please wait a moment."
"Hmmm?" I turned my head and looked up towards the mountain top.
"One of my kind has tried to hide themselves in your hair. Little one, it is useless to hide." The leader of the spirit's voice was stern. Soon I felt some tousling in my hair before a flower spirit popped its head out from within.
"I want to go with her…." The flower spirit voice sounded like a young girl, but I could only assume that she must be much older. I could also hear a bit of stubbornness in her voice.
"You know it is dangerous outside for our kind. If you leave this mountain, I can not protect you no matter what happens." I guess according to the leader of the spirits words, the spirits here are allowed to roam as they please but will not be protected by the pact of the kingdom.
"I know, but I will be safe with her." The little voice replied as the small figure with a humanoid shape, wearing a green leaf bell shaped dress and had a flower growing out of the top of her head, floated in front of me. It did seem to be a girl, from what I could tell. I am not sure if spirits had a male or female. I watched as she turned to me and bowed her head. "Please let me come with you. I will hide myself in your hair no one will know I am there."
A long, drawn out sigh came from the top of the mountain. "Child of dragons, would you mind looking after this little one?"
"It's fine. I do not see why not. But she will need to behave." I had no issues if she followed me around. I mean, after all, she was cute and small, so she wouldn't take up any space. I wonder if she will get along with Mr. Blobs? I guess I will need to introduce them later.
"Then I will leave this little one in your care. Child of dragons, I bid you farewell and safe journeys." The voice of the spirit leader began to fade at the end. I gave a slight bow and turned back around. I guess I got a new travel companion.
I looked at the flower spirit and smiled, and held out my hand. "Since we will be traveling together, just call me Faith. Do you have a name by chance?"
"No…. Spirits normally do not have names. Only names humans give us. Names have no meaning for us. But if you, Faith, wish to give me a name, I will gladly accept." The little flower spirit replied.
I stood there and thought for a moment looking at the little spirit, before a name popped into my mind. "How about Little Bell?" Her dress was shaped like a bell which reminded me of a bellflower from back on Earth. They were very pretty flowers and had a bell shape.
"Little Bell…." Little Bell seemed to fall into thought for a second before nodding her head. "This name I like, thank you Faith."
"Then shall we go?" I asked, motioning with my hand. Little bell nodded and landed on my hand before running up to my shoulder and hiding in my hair.
"I will stay here. It will be the safest place for me." Little Bell seemed to want to just be there for the ride as if she was on vacation.
With everything settled and an envious Adel, we exited the path and made our way back to the carriage. It was already very late in the night, so we planned to stay the night in the carriage at the end of the footpath. Adel was full of all kinds of complaints because the spirits did not like her. Even Little Bell kept her distance from her. I felt bad but also found it kinda funny.
"Tomorrow, we will head out of this special area and head back onto the road towards the capital. Faith, are you sure you won't travel with me?" I could tell Adel did not want to travel alone. But I also knew once we reached the capital, we would need to separate as well. At the rate that we are traveling, we will also be there about a month before the academy's entrance tests. This means I could still take the time to get to know the area around the capital and the capital itself.
Since I could enjoy my time with my new friend before we would be split apart for a while, I figured why not. I have all the time in the world to travel around. "Yeah, we can travel together. Once we reach the capital, you will need to go to the castle anyway. And I can take some time getting used to the city."
"Really!? No, wait! You can't say no now! You already said yes!" Adel looked very happy, which made me smile. I just hope nothing happens in the future that will make this girl who longed for a friend to do something stupid like try to protect me using her life. One thing I have learned in my twelve years on this world is that when people give their word about something, most of them will always keep that word. I guess I will just need to make sure nothing happens that will put her in danger.
