My Maid is Cute Chapter 56 : The Spirits of the Mountain (Patreon)

The Spirits of the Mountain

Early the next morning, Rebecca and Rieserago left the inn and headed to the shared carriage stop.

Rieserago glanced at the carriage and spoke.

“Let’s take this carriage to the village at the foot of the mountain.”

“And then we’ll transfer to another carriage and cross the mountain, right?”

At Rebecca’s words, Rieserago grinned.

“No, I have a bit of an idea.”

“You said that yesterday too… What is this idea?”

Rieserago lightly patted Rebecca’s head and continued.

“I’ll tell you later. If it goes well, we might be able to cross the mountain faster than you think.”

Rebecca frowned at those words and looked up at Rieserago, but she wouldn’t say anything more.

They purchased tickets for the shared carriage and checked the time. Departure was in about an hour.

“We have an awkward amount of time. Well, let’s wait around here.”

“I suppose so…”

At that moment, her gaze stopped at a shop near the stop, and Rebecca raised her voice.

“Ah.”

“Hm? What is it?”

“Riesie, can we go over there?”

Rebecca pointed to a small bookstore.

“Is that… a shop that sells books?”

“Yes! Is it okay to take a peek?”

“Yeah, I don’t mind. If you find a book you like, you should buy it.”

“Is that really okay!?”

At Rieserago’s words, Rebecca broke into a smile and headed for the bookstore.

It had been a long time since she visited a bookstore. Not since she came with Wendy. Recalling that time, she stepped into the shop.

She looked around at the shelves filled with many books. Rieserago was also looking around the shop with interest.

Wondering if there were any interesting books, she was walking through the store when a bookshelf placed in the most prominent spot caught her eye. At the top of the shelf, it said:

The Highly Popular “Sword of Elan” Series

And many books that appeared to be part of the series were lined up.

“This is yesterday’s…”

Rebecca approached the bookshelf, picked up one of the volumes, and flipped through it.

It appeared to be the original novel of the play they watched last night.

“It really is popular… Huh?”

As she returned the book to the shelf, she noticed something and involuntarily voiced her thought.

It seemed to be a series with up to ten volumes released, and there were multiple copies of the same volumes, but there wasn’t a single copy of Volume 1.

“Is it sold out…?”

Just as Rebecca muttered that, someone spoke to her from behind.

“Customer, did you come looking for the ‘Sword of Elan’ series?”

Turning around at those words, she saw a young man wearing an apron who appeared to be a clerk.

“I’m sorry. That series is so popular that Volume 1 is sold out… There’s a stage play nearby, you see…”

The clerk bowed his head apologetically.

“Ah, if it’s that play, I saw it yesterday. It was interesting.”

When Rebecca said that, the clerk nodded happily.

“Right, right. It was already very popular with children before, but the stage adaptation sparked popularity among adults too, and it’s selling quite well. It’s the most popular book right now.”

The clerk picked up one of the “Sword of Elan” books and smiled happily.

“Well, Ward’s works are interesting, so they usually sell, though.”

When Rebecca looked at the book cover, beneath the title,

Renatoa Cel Ward

The name of the author was written. It was a strange name she had never heard before.

“…Are that person’s books popular right now?”

When Rebecca asked, the clerk nodded vigorously.

“Yes! He writes everything from pure literature to mysteries and romance novels, and all of them are interesting, but his children’s books are especially popular.”

The apparently talkative clerk happily picked up a nearby book.

“My recommendation is this one!”

When Rebecca peered at it, the large book cover featured an illustration of a cute girl and the title:

Finley’s Adventure

“It’s Ward’s debut work! The writing is so cute you wouldn’t think it was a man, and the characters are unique and funny.”

“Heh…”

Rebecca picked up the book and flipped through it as she spoke.

“It’s an unusual name, but the author is a man, isn’t he?”

At that question, the clerk nodded greatly.

“Yes. Though, this author seems to be secretive and almost never appears in public. …But,”

The clerk put his hand to his mouth and continued in a whisper.

“Actually, I’ve met him.”

“…Eh, that’s… amazing.”

When Rebecca replied with some surprise, the clerk nodded emphatically.

“Well, rather than met, I just saw him. I saw him when I went to the publisher on business. Someone called out ‘Mr. Ward’… and I was so surprised…”

The clerk lowered his voice further.

“Surprisingly, he was a man who looked older than me. He seemed a bit difficult, tall and sharp, with a scary atmosphere…”

Just then, a loud voice rang out.

“Hey! You’re bothering the customers again!!”

When Rebecca and the clerk turned around, an older woman was standing there. The clerk hurriedly stood up straight.

“I’m sorry, Manager!”

“Get back to work quickly!!”

At the words of the woman who appeared to be the manager, the clerk practically jumped and went off somewhere.

“I’m sorry, customer. That guy is always chatting…”

Since the manager bowed her head, Rebecca hurriedly shook hers.

“No, the talk was enjoyable.”

At that moment, Rieserago appeared from behind the shelf and called out.

“We’re going soon. Are you buying anything?”

At those words, Rebecca hesitated for a moment but immediately picked up Finley’s Adventure and asked the manager,

“…How much is this?”

The time for the shared carriage to depart had come. Holding the purchased book and her luggage, Rebecca boarded the carriage. Unlike the carriage she rode two days ago, this time there were only a few passengers. It apparently took about an hour to reach the village at the foot of the mountain. Rebecca spoke to Rieserago, who sat in the seat next to her.

“Riesie, what do we do once we reach the village?”

“Hmm? Ah, you’ll know soon enough.”

For some reason, only a vague answer came back.

They continued to be shaken by the carriage and arrived at the village entrance on schedule.

Next, they had to change carriages and cross the mountain. It would take at least a day, so maybe they would have to camp out tonight, she thought as she got off the carriage.

The moment her feet touched the ground, Rieserago suddenly picked Rebecca up.

“Whoa, Riesie! What are you doing?”

“We’re going this way.”

Rieserago grabbed Rebecca and the luggage and started running all at once.

“R-Riesie, what about the next carriage!?”

When Rebecca called out, Rieserago said,

“There is a much better way than riding a carriage.”

Rebecca tilted her head at those words.

Rieserago didn’t enter the village but bypassed it and stepped directly into the mountains.

“Riesie…?”

Rebecca called out questioningly, but Rieserago ignored it and proceeded deeper and deeper into the mountains.

Does she intend to go on foot? Rebecca wondered, and her face went pale. She had heard that terrible beasts and bandits appeared in the mountains. Rieserago’s magic didn’t seem to have recovered, so crossing the mountain just the two of them without guards was dangerous. Just as Rebecca, panicking, was about to call out to Rieserago again.

“This area should be good,”

Rieserago said, stopping and lowering Rebecca to the ground. Rebecca looked around. It was a quiet place with no sign of people. Trees grew thick, and a green space extended endlessly. The wind blew, and the leaves rustled.

“Riesie, um…”

Just as Rebecca tried to speak, Rieserago narrowed her eyes as if looking into the distance and grinned.

“Look, here it comes.”

“Huh?”

At that moment, a strong gust of wind blew as if tearing through the air. Rebecca involuntarily closed her eyes and grabbed the hem of Rieserago’s clothes.

“W-What’s coming?”

She asked loudly while opening her eyes. Rieserago, completely unfazed, reached her hand toward Rebecca.

“If I do this, you should be able to see it too.”

Saying that, she covered the area around Rebecca’s eyes with her hand.

“Eh?”

At the same time she voiced her surprise, Rieserago removed her hand. As her vision cleared, Rebecca opened her mouth wide in shock. Before she knew it, a gigantic beast was standing in front of her. It was a beast like a wolf, many times larger than Rebecca. Its fur shone a beautiful silver, and its translucent, pale green eyes were staring at them.

“Eh? Eeeh? What is this…?”

When Rebecca asked while involuntarily backing away, Rieserago answered.

“One of the spirits of the wind.”

“S-Spirit? This!?”

When Rebecca asked back, stunned, Rieserago simply nodded,

“Yeah,”

and lightly patted the beast.

“Creatures called spirits are beings that have lived since ancient times, same as me. Usually, they are invisible to human eyes, their voices cannot be heard. They are existences that cannot even be felt. In the past, there were rarely humans who could see them, though…”

Rieserago clouded her face slightly and continued.

“Many spirits avoid getting involved with humans and live in mountains like this or deep forests. It noticed my presence entering the mountain and came here. I cast a spell on your eyes just now, so you can see it clearly too, right?”

At the same time Rebecca nodded timidly, the beast growled grrr. Hearing that, Rieserago nodded in satisfaction and turned her face to Rebecca.

“It says it will give us a ride. Good for you, Rebecca. With this, we can cross the mountain faster than a carriage.”

“Eeeeh…?”

Unable to keep up with the sudden development, Rebecca froze on the spot. The beast brought its face close to such a Rebecca. Before Rebecca could get scared and try to run away, her face was licked slurp.

“Uwah!”

She let out an involuntary scream. The beast whined kyuuun in a cute voice and nuzzled against Rebecca.

Apparently, although it looked scary, it was a friendly spirit.

“Come on, get on.”

“Eh, wait,”

Ignoring Rebecca’s hesitation, Rieserago picked her up and placed her directly on the beast’s back. She immediately got on herself, sitting behind Rebecca.

The fur was stiff and warm. However, it was higher than she thought, and scary. Rieserago was supporting her from behind to stabilize Rebecca’s body, but she didn’t know where to hold on.

“R-Riesie, are we really going with this!?”

“Yeah, you want to advance quickly, don’t you?”

“That’s true, but—”

“Alright, let’s go—”

Simultaneously with Rieserago’s voice, the beast kicked the ground vigorously. It dashed off with speed like a gale.

“Uwaaaaaah! This is scary!! Impossible, impossible, impossiblllllle!”

Rebecca’s scream echoed through the mountain.

“Endure it!”

Rieserago shouted. Paying no mind to Rebecca crying and screaming in fear, the beast ran with tremendous speed, as if flying. She couldn’t see the surrounding scenery well, and she felt a sensation as if her body were melting in the wind.

“Really impossible!! Please stop, stoooop!!”

Just as Rebecca screamed again, the beast’s movement suddenly stopped.

Rebecca opened her mouth in surprise.

“Eh? Did it really stop for me?”

Rieserago answered those words.

“…No, that’s not it.”

She frowned and let out a heavy sigh.

“…It stopped because others came.”

“Eh?”

Others? Just as she was about to ask, Rieserago got off the beast. She also picked up Rebecca’s body and lowered her to the ground.

It was just as she was about to speak to Rieserago again. Flickering lights crossed in front of her eyes.

“Hm?”

Rebecca followed them with her eyes. And then,

“Hyaaa!?”

She screamed in surprise.

Before she knew it, many people were standing in front of them. No, that’s wrong. They were “somethings” that were not human.

Although they had human shapes, they had wings, or horns, or were huge or tiny—clearly not human. There were also strange creatures she had never seen before.

They approached Rieserago all at once.

『It’s the Princess! The Dragon Princess has come!』

『Wow, it’s been a long time!』

『It’s Rieserago!』

They were raising their voices, looking at Rieserago happily.

“R-Riesie! This is…”

When Rebecca called out, shaken, Rieserago smiled wryly and opened her mouth.

“These are the fairies and spirits living in this mountain. They noticed I came and gathered. We’re acquaintances, more or less…”

When Rieserago said that, the spirits turned their gaze toward Rebecca this time.

『Rieserago brought a human child.』

『A cute girl.』

『Look, somehow that child, even though she’s human, resembles us a lot!』

While making a ruckus, the spirits approached Rebecca this time.

Just as Rebecca froze on the spot in confusion.

『Calm down.』

A new voice spoke. It was a gentle voice, like singing.

Everyone turned their gaze toward the voice. Standing there was a beautiful female spirit with pale pink hair, wearing strange clothes like fluttering lace. Her round, lovely eyes were also pale pink, and she looked at them with a gentle smile. Strangely, many butterflies were flying around the woman as if dancing.

『That child is troubled, see?』

Saying that in a gentle voice, she approached them. The surrounding spirits opened a path all at once.

“Who is that?”

When Rebecca asked Rieserago, a small voice replied.

“An old friend, a flower spirit, and the chief of the spirits here.”

The flower spirit walked leisurely and came toward Rebecca and Rieserago. There was a mysterious scent. A sweet scent, just like flowers.

The flower spirit smiled, bowed lightly, and opened her mouth.

『Greetings, Dragon Princess.』

“Long time no see, Nina.”

The spirit called Nina smiled softly.

『How many hundreds of years has it been since you came here?』

“Who knows.”

Rieserago shrugged.

『Everyone was worried about you. Truly.』

“Ah—, yes, yes. Sorry.”

Rieserago replied as if it were a hassle.

Without seeming offended by such a Rieserago, Nina next turned her gaze toward Rebecca. Rebecca instinctively hid behind Rieserago’s back. Seeing that, Nina’s face softened, and she spoke.

『If you had a child, you should have told us sooner…』

“Wrong! Look closely!! This is a normal human!!”

Rieserago shouted while pushing Rebecca’s body forward.

“H-Hey, wait, Riesie…”

Rebecca panicked, but ignoring that, Nina crouched down on the spot. Meeting Rebecca’s gaze, she put a hand to her mouth and tilted her head lightly.

『For a human, her magic power is strong. And I also feel your magic from her body…』

“A lot happened.”

Rieserago looked away with an awkward face.

Smiling, Nina patted Rebecca’s head.

『It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a human. Little miss, what is your name?』

Rebecca glanced at Rieserago, and while bewildered, opened her mouth.

“Re-Rebecca…”

When she answered with a trembling voice, Nina held Rebecca’s hand with an entranced expression.

『I see, Rebecca… That’s cute.』

As if agreeing with those words, the surrounding spirits made noise.

『Truly an adorable child of man.』

『Her magic is amazing too! Such a human is rare.』

『What did you come here to do? Let’s play together!』

『Aren’t you hungry? Want to eat something?』

As she was utterly confused about how to react, Nina stroked Rebecca’s cheek and spoke.

『Everyone seems to like you. Hey, why don’t you quit being human and live here?』

At those words, Rebecca’s face twitched violently. She looked toward Rieserago again, seeking help.

Receiving that gaze, Rieserago let out a huge sigh.

“Stop teasing her already.”

『Oh my, I’m not teasing. I’m serious. You should just live here. Of course, you too.』

“She has a place to go. Besides, I won’t live here either. Even if it’s in the mountains, it’s too close to human settlements.”

Picking Rebecca up, Rieserago shot a sharp look. Nina continued, looking a little sulky.

『As always, you dislike humans… Iridia.』

Rebecca turned her face to Rieserago in surprise. Rieserago replied to Nina as if fed up.

“Don’t call me by that name.”

Nina lowered her eyes sadly.

“…Anyway, we’re going. Don’t disturb us anymore.”

Rieserago said that and approached the wind beast. She got on with Rebecca again and patted the beast. And then,

“See ya.”

With Rieserago’s words as a signal, the wind beast dashed off again.

The spirits saw them off, looking somewhat lonely.

----

• Nina

A flower spirit. The chief who organizes the mountain spirits. She looks like a fluffy, beautiful girl in her teens, but she has lived for thousands of years. She doesn’t really know how old she is herself. She has an elegant and laid-back personality.

An old friend of Rieserago.