Chapter 10: Invasion of the Capybara
Jade had told Ruri to stay at Chelsie’s house for a while, so she had been staying in her room there. Even though Ruri now lived in the royal castle, Chelsie maintained her room by periodically cleaning it. Therefore Ruri didn’t panic over Jade’s abrupt orders; she was able to stay in comfort.
Several days rolled on, and on one early morning, Ruri was having a distressful slumber.
“Ungh, unghh... So heavy... Urgh...” Ruri groaned. Unable to take it any longer, she opened her eyes. The sun shone through the cracks in the curtains, but it was way too early to be awake. She looked drowsily around her. Simply laying down felt extremely uncomfortable. In fact, it felt like something was crushing her body and causing her to suffocate. When she turned her head faceup, something came into her blurry vision—something that snapped her wide-awake.
Ruri’s eyes went wide. “...Huh?!”
“Yo,” someone greeted, raising their front foot—someone who was neither Kotaro nor Rin.
“Huh? A capybara? ... What?”
Sitting neatly atop Ruri’s belly was an animal about thirty- or forty-centimeters tall with brown fur—a capybara. While she was curious as to what a capybara was doing in her room in the first place, she was more curious as to why it had such an evil look to its eyes.
The capybara stared at Ruri dead in the face with its intense, deep set eyes. She stared blankly back, thinking she was still half dreaming.
“Heeey, are you awaaake?” said the capybara as it waved its foot in front of Ruri’s face.
“G-Gaaah!!” Ruri screamed, springing herself upright.
The capybara lying on her stomach went tumbling across the top of the bed. “Hey, now. Don’t just suddenly get up like that. You spooked me.”
“A-A capybaraaa?!” Ruri stammered, now in utter shock seeing as how the capybara could speak among other things.
Just then, Kotaro and Rin, both asleep next to Ruri’s bed, slowly started to awaken.
“Ruri, mind your volume,” said Rin.
Kotaro added, “It’s far too early to be up and about, Ruri.”
“Now’s not the time for casual attitudes! There’s a capybara... There’s a capybara right there!!” Ruri frantically pointed at the capybara clearly in front of her.
Catching on to the new presence, Rin and Kotaro turned their eyes to it.
The capybara once again raised its front leg and greeted them. “Yo.”
Kotaro and Rin’s eyes bulged in surprise. However, their surprise was different from Ruri’s.
“Is that you, Earth?” asked Kotaro.
“Oh my, if it isn’t Earth,” said Rin.
“Heya, how’s it hanging, you two?”
The friendly back-and-forth between the three helped Ruri regain some of her composure. “An acquaintance of yours?” she asked.
“Indeed. This is one of our brethren—the supreme-level spirit of the earth,” explained Rin.
He was apparently the Spirit of Earth, one of the twelve supreme-level spirits of this world. That was still a surprise in itself, but why were they here in the first place?
“But why is the Spirit of Earth in my room? And why sitting on my body? Thanks to him, I was practically choking in my sleep.”
“Ooh, my bad, my bad. Didn’t want to just suddenly wake you up, so I sat patiently and waited. I was trying to be considerate, but I guess it backfired.”
“In that case, why wait on top of someone?” Ruri asked, breathing a sigh.
“So, what brings you here, Earth?” Rin flapped over to Ruri’s shoulder and parked her rear on it.
“Well, y’know, they said Wind, a known misanthrope, let a human name him, yeah? On top of that, I heard you let the same human name you, Water. It piqued my interest. I also heard she made a contract with Lydia. So, as someone who also got their name from Weidt, I dropped by to see what kind of gal she is.”
“Now that you mention it, you and Time have the same contract-bearer,” said Rin.
“Yup, that’s right! Can’t blame me for getting curious and wanting to check out Lydia’s new contract-bearer since she hasn’t had one since Weidt.”
Weidt was the First Dragon King. It was a fact that didn’t leave Ruri too shocked considering Lydia had also informed her that the First Dragon King made a contract with the Spirit of Earth.
“Then, I assume you’re done here?” Ruri asked.
Now that he confirmed what kind of human Ruri was, it was only natural he would immediately take his leave—or so Ruri thought.
“Well, I kinda made a contract with you while you were sleeping. So, yeah, I’ll be crashing with you, too. Nice to meetcha, roomie!”
“You’re... Pardon?!” Ruri exclaimed, unwilling to believe her ears. “You contracted me?! Why?!”
“I’m bored, for one. And two, from what the other spirits tell me, being with you is a blast.”
Ruri’s shoulders slumped dramatically. Whether it be Lydia, Rin, or even this capybara, she wondered why spirits had a penchant for suddenly doing things like this. Lydia pretty much contracted Ruri under her nose as well, and Rin came up to Ruri out of the blue badgering her for a name. Ruri had the impression that a “contract” wasn’t something you could just easily make, but perhaps that wasn’t the case with spirits. They seemed to live based solely on instinct.
“Is a contract really something you should just be making on a whim?”
“If it’s someone I like, then it’s fine! Just fine! If Lydia and Wind made a contract with you, then you’ve gotta be a good gal. And if I end up disliking you, I’ll just cancel the contract, so no worries!”
“Should you be that casual about it?”
Kotaro explained, “There are some spirits that seldom make contracts with humans, such as myself, but on the opposite side, there are also those who make contracts with multiple humans. And among them, Earth makes contracts at the spur of the moment, so the amount of contract-bearers he’s had in the past is especially high. So, I wouldn’t be too concerned about it, Ruri. A contract is but a spirit’s sign of affection; you will incur no harm from it.”
“Well, I guess I’m fine with it if there’s no issues.”
“Then, nice to meetcha. My name’s Chi.”
And so, Ruri gained herself yet another unexpected pet, this time one with mean-looking eyes.
Over the course of their discussion, Ruri found herself completely awake. It was a little early, but she went to the kitchen and began prepping breakfast. Once the food was done, Chelsie awoke and came to the kitchen herself. She laid eyes on the unfamiliar rodent parked on top of the table and stared blankly at it.
“Ruri, what is this animal doing here?”
The focus now on him, Chi lifted his front paw and greeted Chelsie just as he did Ruri. “Yo!”
Ruri explained the situation while preparing tea for herself and Chelsie. “He’s apparently a supreme-level spirit named Chi.”
“And what, pray tell, is the Spirit of Earth doing here?”
“He’s here to meet me since I’m Lydia and Kotaro’s contract-bearer. One thing led to another and he made a contract with me.”
“What thing led to another?”
“To be honest, I haven’t got a clue myself.”
Chelsie wanted a more concrete explanation, but as for why she ended up in a contract, that was a question only Chi knew the answer to. Ruri had stopped thinking too deeply into it.
Once the tea was all ready, breakfast was underway.
“Oh, right, Ruri. I got a letter from Claus. It asked you to come back to the castle by today.”
“Is it safe now? I know that Beloved from Ceru-wherever is there, so they told me to stay here, but do you suppose she’s left?”
“It’s ‘Cerulanda,’ and she hasn’t left yet, but there seems to be a lot going on. Claus said that he’s sorry for asking a lot, but he wants you to come back.”
“Are you sure? I was told I shouldn’t see her, though.”
“If they’re asking you to come back home, I’m sure it’s fine. I’m also sure that His Majesty is reaching his limit without you around.”
“Jade-sama...”
Part of Ruri was flattered that Jade missed her so much, but another part of her was disappointed in him for blowing things out of proportion over a few days’ absence. With Ruri gone, his kitty source of comfort was also gone, which meant he was probably feeling more down than usual.
“You can come back here in a matter of no time on Kotaro, so hurry on back to the capital, child.”
“Yes, ma’am.” That was when Ruri remembered Chi. “Chi, what are you going to do?”
“Tag along for the ride, of course.”
Ruri observed Chi’s body and estimated his weight. Rin and the other spirits were small, meaning they could ride along with Ruri on Kotaro’s back if they sat on Ruri’s shoulders or head. Chi, on the other hand, was far too big for that. Given that, Chi would have to ride together with Ruri on Kotaro’s back, but...
“You might barely fit...” Ruri said, comparing Kotaro’s size to Chi’s. If he couldn’t, Ruri could always take cat form and fit him on.
After finishing breakfast, Ruri quickly got herself tidied up and went outside. She lifted up Chi and set him on Kotaro, and then she straddled herself on Kotaro’s back.
“Alright, Chelsie-san, I’ll be back soon.”
“Yes, give my regards to His Majesty.”
“Will do.”
With everything settled, Kotaro raced through the sky at incredible speeds, arriving all the way back at the royal capital in mere hours.
Ruri intended to fly straight to the castle, but Chi suddenly stopped her. “Hey, hear me out. Since it’s my first time back in the capital in such a long time, I wanna take a look around. You mind?”
“Huh? But it could be dangerous since I don’t have any security detail assigned to me today.”
If Ruri was by herself, then she could walk around disguised with her wig and glasses, but with Kotaro, Rin, and now Chi in tow, she would stand out immediately. One glance her way and she would be caught as the Beloved and her merry spirits. She was worried about inciting a commotion.
“What are you talking about? You’ve got this many supreme-level spirits around you; you don’t need security detail.”
He had a point since she had the supreme-level spirits of earth, wind, and water all with her. Not only that, but with this many spirits tagging along, there wouldn’t be a soul who would try to mess with her.
“Well, if you put it that way, you’re not wrong.”
“See? It’s fine. Just a little bit.”
“Hmm, okay. But only a little bit since Jade-sama is waiting.”
“You got it!”
Per Chi’s request, Ruri’s party descended into the city. Obviously, as soon as people saw them land, an immediate uproar began. However, no one around them tried to approach Ruri, instead crowding around from afar, possibly because of the vigilant Kotaro in his giant wolf body by her side.
“Ooh, this place hasn’t changed a bit since then.”
“You were here back in the First Dragon King’s time, right? I would think at least something changed in that time.”
“Nah, human and demi-human living together, bustling with activity? It’s the exact same,” Chi said, scanning around the area in enjoyment.
“Don’t get lost, now,” Ruri warned.
“Yeah, I know,” Chi said, ignoring Ruri who was following behind him and marching further into the city, his interest shifting around to anything that caught his eye—like a child. He slipped effortlessly between the legs of people without any regard to Ruri and gradually got further away from her.
“Aah, geez. You’re definitely going to get lost like this. Rin, go with Chi, will you?”
“On it,” replied Rin as she flapped off after Chi.
Not only was the royal capital filled with people, but Chi’s small body disappeared into the crowd in the blink of an eye.
“And there they both go...” Ruri sighed, slumping.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be able to find the both of them. You should just let Chi walk around until he’s satiated.”
Ruri was thankful for Kotaro’s diligence, and they proceeded to leisurely walk around, figuring that Rin would keep an eye on Chi anyway.
As she walked around town, receiving food from shops she passed along the way, she noticed a narrow path between two buildings. There, she saw a lady standing with her back to the street—she seemed to be talking to someone. In the next instant, the lady turned around and met eyes with Ruri.
The lady nodded. “My, my, Lady Beloved. How pleasant to see you. It’s been quite a while.”
“Huh? Oh, um...” Ruri stammered, unable to remember this lady who was talking to her in a friendly and familiar manner.
She could guess that Ruri didn’t remember her from her behavior, but she simply gave a good-natured smile. “I am the vendor that was selling the good-luck charm in the design of your eyes, Lady Beloved.”
“Aah, you’re from back then.”
“I am thrilled that you remember me. My name is Amarna.”
Ruri finally remembered her. She was the vendor who was selling good-luck charms made of glass beads the same color as Ruri’s eyes. She had given Jade that trinket, which had been turned into a real good-luck charm by the spirits.
“Thanks to you, I sold out of merchandise; I am extremely grateful.”
“Oh, I see...” Ruri said, feeling kind of awkward over the fact that people actually bought those regular glass beads.
“I know it’s not much, but please take this,” Amarna said, presenting Ruri with a small, floral-patterned purse.
“What is this?”
“It is one of my new products. If you sleep with this under your pillow, you will get a good night’s rest.”
She took the purse and a slight herb-like scent hit her nose. This must be something like an aromatic sachet with an aroma that has a relaxing effect. It looked to be a more legitimate product than the fake good-luck charms.
“Thank you very much. I’ll make sure to use it.”
“Tee hee hee, if you were to use it, Lady Beloved, I am sure it will fly off the shelves just like the good-luck charms,” she said, thanking Ruri. She knew this would positively affect her sales.
Ruri was speechless at how shrewd of a business woman she was. She hesitated and then said, “Hate to run, but I’m in a hurry.”
“Oh, yes. Please, do stop by my stall again sometime.”
Parting ways with Amarna, Ruri began chasing after Chi. After a bit of tailing, Ruri and Kotaro were able to reconvene with him and Rin.
“Come on, I said you’d get lost that way.”
“My bad, my bad,” Chi said in a tone that didn’t seem apologetic in the least. He seemed satisfied, most likely having his fill of walking around.
With the four of them successfully together again, they head out—this time straight for the royal castle.
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