The Wind Spirit and the Unremarkable Boy ~A Convenient Romance Beginning in Another World~ - The Forbidden Wind and the Warmth of the Campfire

Jin's fingertips gripped the edge of Takumi's sleeve as the two of them emerged from the forest. As they passed the western edge of Luvain Forest—the silent sea of trees—the view opened up all at once. A grassland stretched before them. The same green expanse as yesterday. But now, bathed in morning light, each blade of grass gleamed silver. In the distance, dust from the highway shimmered faintly. Jin continued walking naturally, still holding his sleeve. She said nothing in particular. Takumi said nothing either. He didn't think about pulling away—or rather, he realized he was already growing accustomed to this small weight. (Isn't this getting used to things way too fast?) He walked while thinking that. The morning air of the grassland was crisp, and bird calls echoed from somewhere. After walking for a while, Jin suddenly stopped. "You don't know magic, do you," Jin said. "...No, I don't," Takumi replied. "It's dangerous to have power without knowledge. I'll teach you today," Jin said. With that, she started walking again. This time she released his sleeve and positioned herself slightly ahead, speaking without turning back. It was a teacher's stance. Takumi instinctively pulled out his notebook from his bag. "Magic on the Eora continent is built on five attributes. Fire, water, earth, light, and darkness—each has a corresponding spirit, and mages borrow their power to cast spells," Jin explained. "The basic mechanism is to draw mana—particles of magical power drifting in the air—through your own body and convert it according to each attribute," Jin continued. "Mana... is it something like energy?" Takumi asked. Jin turned around. Her expression was completely serious. "Is energy the name of a magical beast?" she asked. "No, it's not," Takumi said. "Then what is it?" Jin asked. "Um... it's like a fundamental concept underlying physical force..." Takumi fumbled. Jin thought for a few seconds. Then she said "I don't understand" and faced forward again. Takumi wrote in his notebook: "Mana = something like energy (Jin doesn't understand)." "Fire attribute handles heat and combustion, water attribute handles flow and cooling, earth attribute handles adhesion and transformation, light attribute handles purification and illumination, darkness attribute handles corrosion and obstruction—each has its own specialty," Jin said. "I see. So there's no electricity attribute or anything? Like, something that goes bzzt—" Takumi asked. "Is electricity a type of insect?" Jin asked. "It's not an insect," Takumi said. "Then is it a living creature?" Jin asked. "It's not a living creature either. It's a natural phenomenon where the sky lights up—" Takumi tried to explain. "You mean lightning?" Jin asked. "Yes! Lightning! Is there an attribute like lightning—" Takumi asked. "That's an application of the light attribute. It's not exactly the same, but it's close," Jin said. Takumi wrote: "Electricity ≈ Lightning = Application of light attribute apparently." Jin raised her eyebrow slightly and said "You're writing again." "I'll forget if I don't take notes," Takumi said. "I've never heard of someone who made a contract with a spirit taking notes," Jin said. "Everything's a first for me," Takumi said. Jin didn't say anything more. She continued walking forward. Takumi turned the page of his notebook. The grassland wind rustled Jin's water-blue hair. A few minutes later, when the topic reached "the sixth attribute," Jin's tone changed. Her confident teacher's voice from before grew quiet. A careful pause emerged, as if she were choosing her words. "...I'll teach you about the wind attribute," Jin said. Her voice had a different tone. Takumi stopped taking notes. "Three hundred and forty years ago, a storm covered the entire continent. The Calamity of Lamentation—the wind spirit went berserk, crops were destroyed, buildings collapsed, and many lives were lost. Since then, wind attribute magic has been forbidden on this continent," Jin said. Jin's gaze wasn't directed at Takumi, but toward the horizon beyond. "Currently, the Remnant Ecclesiastical Council—the religious authority that oversees the five-spirit faith—monitors wind attribute magic. There is a law called the Wind Prohibition Edict, and violators face up to twenty years of imprisonment," Jin said. Takumi stood frozen, notebook still in hand. "...That means," Takumi started. "Yes," Jin said. A short affirmation. Takumi took one step, then two across the grassland before stopping. Imprisonment. Twenty years. That palm-sized whirlwind he'd used yesterday—on this continent, it was a crime. (I didn't know. How could I have known? But even so...) Takumi quietly turned the fact over in his mind. No one had yelled at him or blamed him. It was simply stated as fact. That made it heavier somehow. "Do you know what caused the rampage?" Takumi asked. Jin's footsteps stopped for a moment. She didn't turn around. But something ran through her. The line of her shoulders shifted ever so slightly. "...I don't know," Jin said. That was all she said before facing forward again. Carrying a question that had gone unanswered for three hundred and forty years. Takumi couldn't say anything. He felt like he'd stepped on something he shouldn't have, so he quietly closed his notebook. A heavy silence continued. Only the sound of grass waves swaying in the wind filled the air. How long did it last? A rumbling sound broke the silence. It came from Jin's direction. "...You didn't hear that," Jin said. Takumi looked at Jin. She was still looking at the horizon. Her expression was perfectly blank. "I heard it clearly," Takumi said. "You didn't hear it," Jin said. "I heard it very clearly," Takumi said. "Your ears are broken," Jin said. "My ears are fine," Takumi said. Jin was completely silent for one second. Then she finally turned to face Takumi. "...I'm hungry," Jin said. Takumi let out a wry smile and rummaged through his bag. He pulled out provisions—dried rations that dissolve in water and some hard bread that was running low—leftovers from last night's camp. "It's hard though," Takumi said. "That's fine," Jin said. The two of them sat at the edge of the grassland and ate in silence. The heavy atmosphere from before had thinned slightly. Takumi felt relieved by that as he bit into the bread. It was hard. Really hard. But that was okay for now. Jin ate quietly. With her small mouth, her serious face. The windmill ornament on her ear swayed in the grassland breeze. Looking at her profile, Takumi thought. Three hundred and forty years. This child had been in that stone chamber for three hundred and forty years. He couldn't quite imagine what that meant exactly. But—when she said "I don't know," that back of hers... he remembered it somehow, not with his head but with his body. ――― Around midday, as the two of them walked westward along the highway, the bushes suddenly rustled in front of them. The sound was different. Not from the wind. Takumi was about to say "Jin—" when the bushes exploded. Small magical beasts. Larger than dogs, their entire bodies covered in black scales. Their eyes glowed red, and there wasn't just one—three, four, more kept pouring onto the highway. "Jin!" Takumi shouted. "I know—but," Jin said. Jin raised both her hands to do something, but her hands trembled slightly. Her body wouldn't obey her. The wounds from three hundred and forty years of sealing hadn't healed yet. "...I can't use it right now," Jin said. Her voice was low and frustrated. A magical beast kicked off the ground. One charged straight at Jin. Takumi's body moved before his thoughts could catch up. He had to protect Jin. That was all that filled his mind. No logic. No fear or calculation. Just the thought that he couldn't bear for Jin to be hurt. He thrust his palm forward. That sensation from this morning at the edge of Luvain Forest—the flow of wind drawn from deep in his chest. It ran through his entire body now. A gust burst from his palm. The group of magical beasts was blown away all at once. Leaves from the bushes scattered in a circle, dust rose into the air. All four beasts flew beyond the highway and disappeared into the grass. After a while, a low growl echoed from far away—then silence. Takumi lowered his hand. There was a sensation in his body like something had rushed through him. It could be called exhilarating, or it could be called terrifying. He couldn't tell which was more accurate. Probably both. (This is power I shouldn't use.) The words Jin had explained echoed in his mind. The Remnant Ecclesiastical Council. The Wind Prohibition Edict. Twenty years of imprisonment. But if he hadn't used it— He turned toward Jin. Jin was standing still, looking at Takumi. Her expression was something he'd never seen before. Relief and pain and something else all mixed together, a complex face. Like she'd witnessed something from three hundred and forty years ago—that kind of look. "Are you okay?" Takumi asked. Jin paused for a moment. "You're the one trembling," Jin said. It wasn't criticism or comfort. Just a statement of fact. Takumi looked at his own hands. They were indeed trembling slightly. For just a moment, he felt a human presence behind a rock on a high point in the distance. The next instant, it was gone. It might have been the wind. Takumi had no room to check. ――― Night fell. They made a campfire a little way off the highway. Takumi gathered stones and, with Jin's guidance, managed to start a fire. If he could use fire attribute magic, it would be instant, but he didn't have such conveniences. Doing it normally took ten minutes. Once the flames settled, Jin sat in front of the campfire. She hugged her knees and stared into the flames. Her pale water-blue hair swayed in the orange light. Takumi sat across from her, thinking about today's battle. (Was it right to use it? I'd just learned today at noon that it was forbidden. But if I hadn't...) "Takumi," Jin said, still looking at the flames. "If you hadn't used it, you would have died today," Jin said. Takumi searched for words. But none came. He'd thought as much. He'd thought it, but he hadn't wanted anyone to say it out loud. "...Yeah," Takumi said quietly. Jin didn't say anything more. The flames swayed. The night air of the grassland grew gradually colder. Then, after a while, Takumi noticed Jin had moved slightly closer to him. By the time he noticed, she'd moved closer again. By the time he noticed, she was at a distance where their shoulders almost touched. (When did that happen?) "...Jin?" Takumi asked. "Contract holders give off heat," Jin said. It was a matter-of-fact statement, delivered in a flat tone. She was still looking at the flames. Their shoulders were almost touching. "There's a campfire," Takumi said. "This is different from the campfire," Jin said. It didn't make logical sense. But Jin showed no hesitation whatsoever. It was the same temperature as saying "water flows downward." Takumi felt heat gathering in his face. The night wind was cold, yet only his cheeks burned. The small, warm weight transmitted through his shoulder. Jin's body temperature was higher than he'd expected. Maybe because she was a spirit. He didn't want to think about it, but he did anyway. (Calm down, me.) He managed to keep his composure and looked up at the night sky. Two moons hung there. One large and bright, the other a thin crescent. Eventually, Jin's breathing became quiet. The weight on his shoulder increased slightly. When he turned to look, Jin's eyes were closed. She was asleep. In the light of the campfire, her expression was peaceful. Different from her complicated profile during the day—just the face of someone sleeping. Takumi looked at that face for a while. Then he quietly took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. Carefully. Without moving her. W

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Episode 3

Name: The Wind Spirit and the Unremarkable Boy ~A Convenient Romance Beginning in Another World~
Author: Novelia

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