The Water Magician

"Leonor..."

"Yes. Hmm? There’s no need to be so defensive. I just came today for a bit of consultation or rather, a request... No, if Ryo truly wants to fight, I wouldn’t mind that either."

"No, just talking would be fine, please."

Ryo hurriedly waved his hands to dismiss the excited demeanor that Leonor was starting to display.

Once he sat on a nearby rock, Leonor began to speak.

"As I mentioned earlier, I actually have something I’d like to ask of you, Ryo."

"You want to ask me...?"

A ‘demon’ who can transcend space with a ‘sealed corridor’ and retrieve objects from subspace, and who cannot die even when beheaded, is asking Ryo for a favor...

What could a being whose existence seems to be on a different dimensional level from humans possibly want...?

Then Ryo suddenly realized.

It dawned on him in a flash.

"You want me to make a contract to obtain my soul, is that it?!"

His mood was now akin to that of Dr. Faust.

"I don’t quite understand what you mean by ‘soul’... What I need is the ‘fairy droplets’ that are overflowing from Ryo’s body."

"Fairy... droplets?"

Ryo tilted his head in confusion.

"Yes, that’s what we call it... but are you not aware of it? Well, it seems to have no effect on humans, so you might not notice it."

"Oh, could it be that elves or spirit beasts, like the ones I’ve encountered, feel it?"

Ryo recalled what the elf Sera, Lady Granny, and the guardian beast in Nils' Village had said about that ‘something’ overflowing from him.

"Ah, that’s it! That’s exactly what I need, something effective for elves."

Leonor clapped his hands and praised Ryo for reaching the correct answer.

"Actually, we are all raising a pet elf... No, saying ‘pet’ gives a bad impression to humans. Hmm, how shall I put it..."

Leonor paused, seemingly considering how to phrase it differently.

Indeed, thinking of ‘an elf as a pet’ doesn’t really evoke a good image.

To have an elf, who looks almost human, as a pet... it probably paints the picture of an ‘enslaved being deprived of freedom.’

However, in the twenty-first century on Earth, there were many who loved their pet dogs and cats as family.

Considering that, the expression ‘pet’ isn’t necessarily seen as a bad thing.

At the very least, it is a living creature and can sometimes be viewed as family.

That’s what Ryo thought.

"Yes! We have an elf who is a shared asset, not a pet."

Asset... it seems that they weren't regarding her as a living being or family...

"Well... I somewhat understand. So, what about that elf who is with you all?"

Ryo managed to collect his thoughts and asked Leonor.

"Yes, that elf’s name is Elizabeth. She’s been in a rather dire state. Our healing has little effect on those who are part of the fairy lineage like elves..."

"Fairy lineage? A race that contains fairy factors?"

"Exactly. The elves have used that term before. That’s easy to understand. The place we live in is certainly not a good one for those with fairy factors. Thus, she has fallen into a terrible state, and we are troubled."

Though Ryo was curious about where Leonor and the others lived, he hesitated to pry into their privacy.

"Couldn’t you move her to a place that’s easier for those with fairy factors to live in?"

"Of course, we tried that as well. However, it wasn’t a condition that would heal naturally..."

Leonor answered with a grim expression, shaking his head.

"I can only imagine how terrible her condition must be... Is there really something I can do for an elf in that state?"

Ryo was neither a doctor nor a biologist.

Certainly, when he had his arm severed in front of this demon, he had performed something akin to surgery... but that was ultimately because the severed nerves were reconnected with Kenneth's potion.

The clear effect he seemed to possess was that nearby guardian beasts had their lifespans extended, and elves felt comfortable around him... but that was about it.

Ah, and for some reason, he seemed to cleanse negative energy. Although, what exactly negative energy is, Ryo didn't understand.