Chapter 61: Spira’s Circumstances

"See ya! That goblin hunt was a huge help. If anything else comes up, give me a shout!"

After finishing our various reports at the Adventurer's Guild in Garond, Zephyr raised his right hand in a wave. Beside him, Eina gave us a slight, polite bow.

Zephyr had seemingly wanted to hold a celebration party, but Eina had shot the idea down. I’d wondered what was going on when she silently began dragging him away by the ear with a deadpan stare.

Apparently, Zephyr had been ordered to abstain from alcohol for a while. The cause was his heavy drinking on the day we first met; he had been bedridden with a hangover the entire next day.

And so, we decided to quietly go our separate ways for the evening. We were all a bit tired ourselves, so it was probably for the best.

By the way, I did report the situation regarding the dungeon to the Guild. Even though nothing remained of it now, the instance of a "Dungeon Collapse" was valuable information in its own right. I figured it was best to share it.

Initially, Radan—a somewhat clumsy young man—handled our case, but since he was still a rookie and couldn't quite process the gravity of it all, an older staff member eventually took over. Even then, that person wasn't exactly an expert on the subject, so they mentioned they might want to follow up with us later.

Now then, was everything for today finished?

The sun hadn't quite begun its final descent yet, so I thought it might be nice to just relax at the inn. It was right at that moment that Lowell spoke up.

"I’d like to talk for a bit. Could you come to my home?"

He looked at me with an incredibly serious expression. Naturally, I had no reason to refuse. Besides—

"We get to see Spira-chan!"

『That's right!』

Halfa and Shiroru both looked delighted.

Lowell’s home was located not far from the Adventurer's Guild. There were many rental houses for adventurers in the vicinity, and Lowell was apparently renting one of the smaller, cozier units.

The interior was clean but sparse, lacking any real decoration. In fact, there were very few belongings at all. It was the kind of living space you’d expect from a bachelor adventurer living alone, but...

"Oh? Where's Spira-chan?"

Halfa had beaten me to the question. I’d expected Spira to greet us, but she was nowhere to be seen. Furthermore, there wasn't a single personal item that looked like it belonged to a young girl. Since it was a one-room studio, it wasn't like she was in another part of the house. It was quite different from what I’d imagined.

"That's part of what I need to talk about. Spira."

When Lowell called her name, the space right beside him wavered. The distortion suddenly took on color, and Spira's figure appeared as if bleeding into reality. It didn't feel like she was simply erasing her presence with a skill like my Shadow Hiding. It was as if she had materialized out of thin air.

『Whoa, that’s amazing! How’d you do that, Spira?』

"Spira-chan, long time no see!"

It was a startling entrance, but Shiroru and Halfa didn't seem to mind. They immediately began chatting with her, smiles on their faces. Seeing that, Lowell exhaled a sigh of relief.

Halfa and the others were already deep in conversation... well, whatever. I should at least listen to the explanation.

"So, what exactly is going on?" I asked.

"Right. Spira is my younger sister and a Forestfolk. That much is true... but she has undergone a partial spiritification."

"Spiritification...?"

Spirits are existences close to nature and mana—spiritual bodies without physical forms. The common belief is that while they are invisible, spirits drift everywhere throughout the world. However, those are generally low-level spirits with weak egos; high-level spirits reportedly possess firm identities and distinct, visible forms.

According to Lowell, the Forestfolk are a race descended from spirits, and even now, they carry spirit factors within them. Because of this, on very rare occasions, a Forestfolk will begin to transition into a spirit.

"Then, Spira is...?"

When I asked, Lowell shook his head with a pained expression.

"Spira... hasn't been able to fully transition."

Apparently, Spira's spiritification began about eight years ago. She was six at the time, and her physical growth had stopped then and there. Normally, it would take about a year in that state to completely become a spirit, but Spira’s transition had stalled. She couldn't move forward, but she couldn't return to being a normal Forestfolk either. She had spent the last eight years in this halfway state.

The problem with being a Half-Spirit was her lifespan. Perhaps because the state of being caught between worlds was such a heavy burden on the body, they couldn't live long. It was said that they die within ten years on average. To a Forestfolk, whose natural lifespan was quite long, that was a tragically short amount of time.

"The village chief told me there is a medicine that can aid the spiritification process. The ingredients are known, but several of the materials were nearly impossible to find."

"Could it be... the Goldidilla and the Raremerat Tail?"

"Yes. I thought obtaining a Raremerat Tail, in particular, was hopeless. I never intended to give up, of course, but I didn't expect to actually get my hands on one so easily..."

Since we’d been nearly buried alive in a Dungeon Collapse to get it, I wasn't sure I'd call it "easy." That said, a Raremerat was an incredibly rare monster, and the tail dropped at an abysmal rate. In that context, I suppose "easy" was relative.

"It’s all thanks to you, Tort. Because of you, I finally have hope. This is a brazen request, I know, but I want you to help me procure the remaining materials. If you do, I will dedicate my life to being your strength!"

Lowell bowed deeply the moment he finished speaking. His devotion to Spira was painfully clear. In a Half-Spirit state, the average life expectancy was only ten years, and Spira had already spent eight years in that limbo. He must have spent nearly a decade struggling against despair, refusing to let go of hope.

Before I knew it, Halfa and the others had stopped their chatting to look over at us.

"Um, please, stand up. I don't mind helping at all. Right, guys?"

"Of course! Anything to help Spira-chan!" Halfa chirped.

『I don't mind either!』

Halfa and Shiroru both agreed instantly. They were much closer to Spira than I was, after all. I knew there was no way they’d say no.

"And, while we’re at it—"

"I’m totally for it!" Halfa interrupted.

『Me too! The more the merrier!』

I tried to make an additional proposal, but Halfa and Shiroru enthusiastically cut me off. I hadn't even finished the sentence yet. I suppose they already knew what I was going to say. We were all on the same page.

"Ahaha, I thought so! Hey, Lowell... Spira. Would you two like to join our party? Will you join Glory's Steps?"

Lowell looked stunned by the invitation. Spira was the one who reacted first.

"I’ll join! I want to go on adventures with Shiroru!"

『Mugh... g-good to have you, Spira.』

"Yay! Welcome to the team~"

The moment she declared her intent, Spira lunged at Shiroru and hugged him tight. Halfa piled on top of them, turning the group into a tangled mess of limbs. Shiroru looked like he was being smothered, but he stayed still, seemingly reading the mood.

"So, what do you say, Lowell? I fully intend for us to solve our party members' problems together."

When I asked again, Lowell gave a firm, resolute nod.

"Yeah. I’ll be in your care. Thank you."

And just like that, new members joined the ranks of Glory's Steps.