#1182 Gathering the Four Spirits

Right before our eyes appears something that at first glance is shaped like a person... but anyone can tell right away this is no ordinary human.

It’s about the size of a medium-sized dog, with a skinny, lanky body. Its long hair is a blazing crimson flickering constantly, like it’s made of real flames.

Its face is wrinkled, kind of reminiscent of a gentle grandpa, but at the same time there’s something like a meek monkey in its features.

“Hello, I am the fire spirit. A pleasure to meet you.”
“Oh, um, pleasure’s all mine...”

It spoke so politely that I had to return the greeting in kind.

I didn’t expect something like this to pop up.

I mean, among the four classical elements of earth, water, fire, and wind, we’d already seen the earth spirit. Now, we’ve got the fire spirit showing up, too?
And all because Aileron called out to it.

“Wait, wait, wait! Hold on a second!”

Aileron, thrown off by this miraculous event, cuts in frantically.

“I can’t wrap my head around this! Sure, I get that a spirit might materialize, but why of all things did it have to be a fire spirit?!”

Is that really such a problem?

“Of course it is! Elves live in the forest, you know! Fire is our mortal enemy! One spark and we’ve got a forest fire blazing out of control!”

Well, good point.
Out of all the four elements, fire does seem the least elf-friendly.

Fire is often seen as a symbol of civilization—humankind used it to grow, expand, and surpass nature. It’s pretty distinct in that sense.
And yet, Aileron’s passion somehow summoned the fire spirit...

“What are you talking about? You yourself are closer to fire than anyone, and you’re an elf at that.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

The fire spirit’s confident declaration leaves Aileron more baffled.

Now that I think of it, Aileron does a ton of pottery work that relies on fire.
You need to bake the clay to turn it into pottery. Without fire, it’s just a lump of dirt.
In fact, you could say Aileron is the elf who’s mastered the art of handling fire for her craft!!!

“An elf who lives alongside nature and creates her art from it... You, Aileron, are the ideal candidate to receive the fire spirit’s renewal. That’s why I heard your call and made myself manifest. Of course, only in this land blessed by the god Hades is such a thing possible.”
“Gwaaaaaahhh! No, no, no! Having an affinity for fire is the furthest thing from what elves are known for!!! But, well... if it means my devotion to pottery was recognized, I guess that’s kinda cool...?!”

Poor Aileron’s caught in the middle of an identity crisis.
After all, her people are basically children of the forest, and now she’s stuck with the bizarre new image of “the elf of fire.” That is definitely going to raise some eyebrows.

Anyway...
I take a long, hard look at this fire spirit who showed up in the flesh.

If you look closely, it seems like a tiny old man or maybe a mellow monkey. It has this laid-back grandpa vibe going on.

Usually, when you picture a fire spirit in your typical fantasy, you expect something wild and rowdy, the loudest of all four elements.

“Hoh-ho-ho... well, it can’t be helped. Fire spreads everywhere and burns up everything in its path, so people often think of it as uncontrollably fierce.”

The fire spirit lets out a warm, gentle chuckle.

“But on the contrary, fire is the element most often controlled and harnessed by humans for their own benefit. Fire gave birth to civilization itself. It’s a symbol of intelligence. Animals without intellect fear it and flee, while humans, with their wits, can utilize fire to enrich their lives. How could a spirit of that element be some wild brute?”

Y-Yeah...!
You’re absolutely right...!!!

But after that explanation, I think I’ve figured out how this whole “spirit summoning” works!
Basically, if someone who resonates deeply with one of the four elements manages to unlock something, that element’s spirit shows up in a real, physical form!

The fire spirit taught me something important, fitting for the spirit of intelligence!

Which means we should be able to call out water and wind by finding the people who connect with them best!
So, who do we know with a strong water affinity?
And who might resonate with wind...?

“Hmhmhm...! Looks like it’s my time to shine!”

Enter my wife, Platy!
Does she have a water or wind mindset hidden away somewhere?

“Obviously, Dear. Did you forget what I am? I’m a mermaid! And not just any mermaid, I’m a member of the royal family! We mermaids live and breathe the sea, so we’re basically the closest thing possible to water!!!”

Ah, if that’s the case, maybe Platy can commune with the water spirit, just like Aileron did with fire.
Though her tone here sounds suspiciously like the kind of mindset that drove Aileron. Not gonna lie, that’s making me a bit uneasy...

“All right, time to answer the call of Platy, your mermaid master! Pugyaaaahhhhhhh!!!”

Platy yells loud enough to rattle your soul, like she’s about to summon some colossal demon instead of a spirit.
And then, who actually shows up...?

“Yooow. Delivery from Rairai Noodles here.”

Veil appears out of nowhere.
Why, though?

“Veil? What the heck are you doing here? I was calling for the pure water spirit! You’re basically the opposite of that!”
“The hell’s your problem? I just got here and I can already tell you’re picking a fight. You wanna go a round or two with Veil, the mighty Grinzel Dragon, and see the difference in our power firsthand?!”

Time out!
...What’s up, Veil? You must have a reason for busting in like this, right?
Please let me change the subject before a fight breaks out.

“Oh, right. I almost forgot. I got an order for ramen, so I’m here to deliver.”

She casually pulls out a bowl of ramen from the container strapped to her back.

...Uh, I’m pretty sure we didn’t order ramen, though?

“Aw, come on. I definitely got an order for ramen. I swear I got some strong telepathic energy while I was messing with my broth.”

She can’t just accept telepathic orders like that!
You’re not some fast-food joint!

Could it be that the wave of raw emotion Platy blasted out was so powerful that instead of drawing the water spirit, it snagged Veil’s attention by mistake?
Is that even possible?

Wouldn’t you have to whiff your aim for that to happen?
She overshot her target by a mile!

“Not exactly... that’s not entirely accurate...”

Huh?
Suddenly, something starts rising up out of Veil’s ramen.
It just kind of oozes out, and... is that the water spiritttttttttttttttttttttttttttt?!

Its form is that of a young woman with soaking wet, extra-long hair.
Compared to the fire spirit, it looks way more like the “typical fantasy spirit” you’d expect.

“I am the water spirit. I used Lady Veil’s ramen as a conduit to appear in this world.”

Why ramen?!
There had to be better choices for a vessel out there, right?!

“How dare you ask that! Lady Veil’s broth is water in its most superior form!!!”

Oh.
Is it really, though?

“Water is not merely about purity. It is the element that absorbs and contains all sorts of substances. Some see that as ‘muddy’ or ‘tainted,’ but it’s that precise mixture that give birth to new life. That’s also a wondrous aspect of water.”

Ah, like the ‘primordial soup’ idea.
In Earth’s ancient oceans, countless minerals mixed together formed a dense stew, from which life emerged.

Pure cleanliness gives birth to nothing.
Ironically, all life is born from some kind of muck.

“From that perspective, Lady Veil’s broth brims with top-tier ingredients. Plus, it carries her unwavering passion. This culinary creation is comparable to the very origins of life itself, and thus more than worthy of becoming our vessel.”
“Bwahaha! You recognize the greatness of my gonkotsu broth, huh? Not bad! You’re free to use my broth as a base whenever you need!!!”

Veil puffs out her chest, clearly tickled pink at the compliment.
So basically, when Platy called for the water spirit, it did indeed hear her, but it chose Veil’s ramen broth as its conduit to appear... That’s why Veil ended up showing up alongside it.

“Grrrr... how can Veil be more in tune with water than I am...?!”
“Hah! What did you expect? I’m a dragon, the apex of all living beings! No matter what category, nobody’s beating me!”

Anyway, with the fire and water spirits here, that means we’ve got three out of the four elements physically manifested.
Even if the water spirit is still awkwardly poking halfway out of a ramen bowl, the goal is the same.

Earth spirit, fire spirit, and water spirit.
That’s three down, so only one left.

The wind spirit.
We’re gonna bring that one out too and finally summon the Spirit King!!!