4
They had arrived at their destination. The door to the room was covered in a dense layer of green vines.
“This is…”
Subaru was at a loss for words.
Before him was the first proper plant he had seen since they had stepped foot in the desert. The miasma that filled the sandstorms was anathema to living things, and other than the sand itself, their party had not really seen anything that could be called natural.
“And the only exception was those nasty demon beasts that turned into flowers…”
Those oiran bears ordinarily lived in forests. A swarm of them created an unnatural field of flowers in the middle of the desert, which was basically the one natural-looking thing they had seen in days. Of course, that looked so out of place to begin with that the camouflage didn’t really do its job.
“ ”
As Subaru stopped because he was deep in thought, someone moved past him and touched the vine-covered door. There wasn’t a single sign of hesitation. The door opened as if sliding.
“Are you not coming, Barusu?”
“…I’m coming.”
Subaru cast aside his unease and stepped forward, following Ram’s slender figure as he slipped inside.
As could be guessed from the outside, the vines clinging to the door had also spread to the other side. It looked like the interior was originally all stone, but the floor, walls, and ceiling were completely dominated by green. It almost seemed like a hidden ruin that had been abandoned to nature for centuries.
“The jungle vibes are crazy. Shaula called it the green room, but damn…” Subaru felt like that was a little too on the nose. As that thought crossed his mind, he looked back and noticed that the entrance had been sealed back up by the vines. In surprise, he blurted, “Whoa, Ram! We’ve been cut off!”
“You’re too easily frightened. There is a limit on how many people can enter this room. The intention of the room’s master, it seems.”
“By that, you mean…?”
“—A spirit.”
With that terse answer, Ram quickly moved deeper into the room. Subaru studied the closed door for a moment and scratched his head before hurrying after Ram.
Thick vines carpeted the entire room. Stepping over and ducking under the thick vegetation, they carefully navigated the area dominated by green plant life. And after going as far as they could…
“Rem…and Patlash…”
In the deepest reaches of the green room, Subaru could see a space quite different from the mess of vines that filled the rest of the room. There was a bed made of a downy layer of green grass with small flowers blooming here and there.
And on top of that green bed adorned with flowers lay Rem.
“ ”
There was no color in her pale cheeks, and her sleeping expression was the same as ever. With each breath, her chest moved up and down ever so slightly, but other than that and the warmth of her skin, there was no sign she was alive.
Even though she was still in the grip of the sleeping beauty sickness, seeing Rem was such a relief that Subaru’s legs almost gave out.
“She really is safe…”
“Like I said. Or did you think I would lie when it came to her?”
“I wouldn’t say that, but I couldn’t actually relax until I finally saw her with my own eyes, so how was I supposed to act? I’m glad to see you’re okay, too, Patlash.”
Subaru grimaced slightly at Ram’s comment and then walked over to his land dragon, who was resting next to the bed of grass where Rem was sleeping. There was a cushion of green undergrowth beneath her large body, and she was well-behaved as she peered at Subaru just like she always had in the stables.
“You really went overboard protecting me down there. You’re just so…” Subaru brushed Patlash’s neck with his palm as she rubbed her nose against his check. Subaru felt a bit of relief at the display of affection, but he still steeled his heart. “I get that you’re not a heroine who needs saving, but still, don’t make me worry so much. I was seriously afraid this time… Ow, oww, owwwww!”
“—!”
Before he could finish scolding Patlash for her brave but reckless actions underground, a sharp scale bit into his neck.
“Wh-what was that for…?”
“Otto isn’t here, so allow me to interpret. Apparently, she’s saying ‘I don’t want to hear that from you.’ I couldn’t have said it better myself.”
Ram crossed her arms as she decided to add her own opinion. But judging from Patlash’s eyes, her translation was more or less on the money.
“Huh? You’re already breaking all the rules, but I’m the one who needs to be more careful?”
“It’s a simple question of probability. No matter how you look at it, that land dragon there has much better odds of surviving than you. You’re like a candle flickering in a blizzard.”
“A candle burns brightest right before it burns out, don’t you know? And who the hell asked you?”
Beneath the withering gazes of Ram and his trusty dragon, Subaru’s shoulders slumped. Then he started to examine Patlash’s body when he noticed a warm, faint light around the wounds where her scales had been gouged out.
“This spirit’s power apparently has the ability to speed up the healing process.”
“Right, you said this room’s master is a spirit… Where is that spirit anyway?”
“And you call yourself a spirit mage? This room itself is the spirit.”
Rubbing Patlash again as he talked to Ram, Subaru caught his breath when she revealed the true nature of the healing spirit.
Now that he was paying attention to it, he could tell that the room was filled with a dense mana, which explained the incredible foliage in the green room.
It felt sort of like his body was being healed from the inside, almost as if he was in an oxygen-rich environment.
“I can sort of feel it, yeah. This is definitely a spirit… Doesn’t seem like we can communicate, though?”
“This spirit is an odd one…though that goes for all spirits. Be it Lady Emilia’s great spirit or Lady Beatrice… The spirit here is unusual in that it doesn’t seem to have any will, so to speak. It simply attempts to heal the wounds and sicknesses of all living creatures that enter.”
Ram moved beside Rem as she said that. When she did, some vines behind her started moving, writhing and twisting into a green chair. It seemed to be a thoughtful gesture for the elder sister watching over her younger sister. Once Ram sat down, the classic scene of family visiting a patient in a hospital was complete.
“It’s kind of amazing.”
“If nothing else, it’s certainly the most well-mannered out of all the spirits I’ve met. You should take this chance to brush up on your own manners, Barusu. Whether from this spirit or from Sir Julius.”
“I can’t really say I’m happy about those suggestions.” Brushing away the idea of using either as a role model, Subaru scratched Patlash’s neck, told her “Take your time and rest up,” and then gently laid her head back down before turning back to Ram. “I can see that even though Patlash’s wounds are being healed, there’s no visible effect on Rem…just like you all mentioned downstairs.”
“Her condition is neither a wound nor a sickness, so it can’t be healed. That seems to be what the spirit decided.”
“…I see…”
Tasting the same disappointment from before, Subaru sighed.
But even if she wasn’t someone who could be healed, the spirit of the room didn’t hesitate to take care of Rem in her sleep. The way it treated Ram was ample evidence of that.
“In the end, nothing has changed.”
“…If you want to change it, then you’ll have to do what you came to do in this tower.”
“The Great Pleiades Library, huh…?”
Standing beside Ram, Subaru peered down at Rem’s sleeping face.
The Great Pleiades Library.
That was the Pleiades Watchtower’s true name and its true function. If Shaula was to be believed, the answer they desperately wanted was somewhere inside.
“I’ll find the answer and bring Rem back. My goal hasn’t changed.”
“…I see. Good.”
Holding Rem’s hand, Ram didn’t so much as glance in his direction. She was curt, but that made her seem all the more reliable when it came to Rem.
“Incidentally, why is there a chair for you but not for me? This is some clear-cut discrimination.”
“Animals have an instinct for sniffing out hierarchies. Perhaps spirits are the same.”
“Rem said something similar once.”
Before Rem and Subaru got along, Rem had made a remark about why they were treated differently by the children in Earlham. It was a nostalgic memory. Quite some time had passed since he had last checked in on the village.
“First thing’s first.”
Subaru exhaled, letting go of the empty feeling that had started to well up as he composed his face.
“All right! I’m going back to where everyone else is. What about you?”
“You would get worried if someone isn’t watching Rem, right? I’ll keep an eye on her. That’s why I came here in the first place.”
“Yeah, that makes sense. In that case, I’ll leave her to you.”
“I can’t do anything other than watch over her.”
“There’s meaning in you doing that.”
After reassuring Ram in a rare moment of self-deprecation, Subaru examined Rem’s face again. Expressionless, neither peaceful nor pained, she was still lost in dreams.
Reaching his hand out to her forehead, he touched her with tender affection.
He was relieved to be able to do that much. And while knowing that a part of him wanted so much more, his expression softened.
“I’ll be back.”
“………”
Naturally, there was no response.
Ram knew those words were not meant for her and tactfully remained silent. Satisfied, Subaru headed toward the green room’s exit.
“Speaking of good manners… Please take care of Rem and Patlash.”
Before leaving, he touched the vine on the wall and made a request of the spirit protecting the room.
Even if it is impossible to talk with the spirit, my sincerity might still get through. And my gratitude, of course.
It might have been nothing more than self-indulgence, but having conveyed his thoughts, Subaru—
“Oh, that reminds me. For someone who declared that her place is at Rem’s side, you sure did travel far to pay us a visit all the way downstairs.”
“………”
“It can’t be that you hurried down in a rush when you heard I woke up, right? If there was some special reason, then tell me, so—”
“Hurry up and leave. Now.”
“Eh? But it’s just… If there was something that you thought of, it might be a hint for—”
“Get a move on.”
Overwhelmed by the mounting pressure, Subaru didn’t say anything else as he was forced to quickly retreat from the green room.
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