At the request of the Blue Crystal Flower Spirit, Spica, Isis settled at the table in the room for a quiet conversation.
Their talk naturally revolved around Spica, but given both of their temperaments, the dialogue proceeded with a gentle, peaceful rhythm.
"……I see…… So you have been traveling, Spica."
"That I have. Just wanderin' where the whim took me. I’d only just arrived when you found me, Isis-san; I’d caught a sudden fancy for a snowy landscape after so long, you see."
As she listened, Isis realized her suspicions were largely correct. Spica had never once manifested as a spirit in the past; she had remained dormant within the flower for her entire existence.
Her magic power was faint to begin with, and since Blue Crystal Flowers naturally radiated their own magic power, Spica’s presence had been perfectly masked. No one had ever noticed her.
Yet, a question remained: why had she chosen to appear now? She claimed she simply wanted to talk, but for someone who had presumably never felt that impulse in tens of thousands of years, why had she suddenly felt the urge to speak with Isis?
As Isis pondered this, Spica looked at her with a gentle smile.
"Isis-san, may I ask you somethin'?"
"……Yes…… What is it?"
"Do you like Blue Crystal Flowers?"
Isis felt a flash of intuition. She sensed that this question carried profound weight—something that would fundamentally shape the future for both of them. She didn't know if there was a "right" answer, so she decided to speak from the heart.
"……In the beginning, I didn't have any special feelings for them…… but…… Blue Crystal Flowers are part of a memory that is very precious and…… happy for me…… Since then…… they have become my favorite flower."
"Is that so? Fufu, it’s a funny feelin'... hearin' you say you like them makes me truly happy."
Spica laughed with genuine delight, then turned a gaze of immense tenderness upon Isis.
A few seconds of silence drifted between them before Spica spoke again, her voice barely more than a whisper.
"……I had a feelin' as much."
"……Yes?"
"I’ve wandered all over, seein' all sorts of sights. There were places I didn't like and left straight away, and others I liked well enough to stay for a while. But... this place is different."
"……Different?"
"How should I put it? It's hard to explain, but it’s not like the other places I liked. It’s warm. It’s a place where I can just think, 'Ah, I like it here.' I’ve felt that way since I arrived, but I couldn't quite put my finger on why... until now."
Spica stood up and walked over to the potted Blue Crystal Flower that served as her main body. Her voice was thick with emotion as she continued.
"……Deep down, I think I knew it a while ago. My heart and soul felt it, but I couldn't find the words, so my head just hadn't caught up. But talking with you, Isis-san, I’m finally sure."
"……"
"I’m certain now…… that all this time…… I’ve been travelin' just to reach this place."
Spica gently caressed the petals of the Blue Crystal Flower, murmuring as if to herself.
"Ah, I see…… I’ve finally found a place where I can take root……"
She closed her eyes. As she stood there, seemingly reflecting on the end of a vast journey, Isis remained silent, patiently waiting for her to continue.
When Spica finally opened her eyes, she turned back to Isis with a radiant, cheerful smile.
"……And so…… 'Isis-sama'…… would you be willin' to accept a spirit like me as your subordinate?"
Seeing Spica’s playful expression, Isis felt a smile of her own break through.
"……Yes…… You are more than welcome…… I look forward to it…… Spica."
"Yes~! Happy to be here!"
And so, the mysterious spirit of the blue flower—the one commonly called the Travel Flower as it wandered the world—decided to make its home by Isis's side. In time, the group gathered around the Death King would come to be known as her executives, the Mutsuraboshi.
On a side note, the discovery of this spirit caused Alice no small amount of distress. Between the unprecedented ten-tails Mystic Silver and this unidentified highest-ranking Count-class spirit—a rare spirit who had manifested entirely on her own without Lilliwood’s influence—it was an anomaly that neither the Spirit King nor Alice herself had ever anticipated.
Consequently, several Platinum Coins ended up vanishing from Kaito’s wallet as he was dragged along for her stress-induced binge eating.
Serious-senpai: "I see…… So when Alice suffers from stomach pain damage, the system doesn't hurt her own stomach, but transfers the damage directly to Kaito’s wallet……"