At the sight before her, Luciana let out a bitter, exasperated laugh.
Her gaze rested on the Great Spirit and Logan.
"Making another grand entrance, huh... Always the center of attention, I suppose."
"Hah, what's the harm? Can't say it's all bad."
Henry laughed, clearly amused.
He was even praising the display.
(Just as abrupt as ever...)
They must have been in quite a hurry.
If they'd contacted me via thought transmission, they could have teleported directly to my location, but judging by the momentum of their flight, such a thought never occurred to them.
Poor Logan, though.
From their posture, it was clear he had been forcibly dragged along.
Carried like that, he looked utterly limp.
It seemed spirit magic was protecting his body; otherwise, things would have been far worse.
I had assigned the two of them to neighboring regions, but perhaps that had been a miscalculation.
As a pang of guilt for Logan arose in me, the Great Spirit approached.
"The elf chief insisted on confirming your condition, so I brought him."
"Wait, I never said that—"
"You are old acquaintances. You should exchange words."
The Great Spirit stated this flatly, then set Logan down on the ground.
Confronting me, Logan wore a grim expression.
After a brief silence, he murmured in a serious tone.
"Don't die. Show your face again."
"...I promise."
In those short words, concern and trust were palpable.
That was typical of Logan.
We had known each other for quite some time.
His sincere feelings had been clearly conveyed.
Meanwhile, Luciana had moved over to the Great Spirit.
They were exchanging whispered words.
"You should say something too, dear."
"I have no need for such."
"Oh honestly, you're terrible at lying..."
Luciana let out an exaggerated sigh.
She returned to my side and whispered, placing a hand beside her mouth.
"Hey, Demon Lord."
"What is it?"
"Say something nice to her as well."
"Hmm..."
I vaguely understood Luciana's suggestion.
In this situation, it would be unnatural not to say anything to the Great Spirit alone.
The Great Spirit had hurried here from a faraway place.
This meant she was, to no small degree, worried about me.
Perhaps I should convey something to her from my side.
I turned my thoughts over.
However, nothing particularly clever came to mind.
Luciana would be skilled at things like this.
I tried to ask her for advice, but she shook her head before I could even pose the question.
It seemed I had to figure this out for myself.
Eventually, an idea struck me.
I didn't know if it was correct, but keeping her waiting too long wasn't good either.
I stood before the Great Spirit and looked at her.
"What is it?"
"I want you to hold onto this."
As I said this, I snapped one of my ribs.
Using magic, I decomposed it, reassembling it into a different shape.
Constructed in my hands was a jet-black short sword.
Set between the hilt and the blade was a small gemstone.
It was solidified mana of my own.
Basking in the sunlight, it showed a deep, vivid green luster.
(For something improvised, it turned out rather well.)
For me, it was just a short dagger of little value.
My ribs were already repaired with miasma, so there was no need to have it returned.
However, as a token of our promise, it was a suitable piece.
It served its purpose, I think.
I handed the dagger to the Great Spirit.
She stared at it intently, then hugged it to her chest tenderly.
Looking up, she delivered her proclamation to me.
"The deadline is two days. If you exceed that, I will consider the ownership forfeited."
"Understood. I'll be sure not to be late."
The Great Spirit's mood, as always, was inscrutable.
However, she didn't seem offended.
I turned and gave Luciana a questioning look.
She gave a thumbs-up.
It seemed my action had passed muster, for now.
The Great Spirit, dagger in hand, once again scooped up Logan.
She intended to return to her post, presumably.
Logan offered no resistance.
He must have known he couldn't fight back.
However, he shot a murderous glare at the mocking Luciana.
Luciana feigned fear in an exaggerated manner.
Watching the exchange between the two, Henry seemed to be enjoying himself.
(I'm losing my sense of urgency here...)
I felt myself relax a little.
Maybe that lighter attitude was better, the kind they had.
Ever since I was alive, I'd always been told I took things too seriously.
Whatever my state of mind, the task at hand remained the same.
Perhaps I should learn from my subordinates.
The Great Spirit returned to the center of the sunken ground.
There, she bent her knees to build momentum.
"You, too, are a form of justice. Never forget that."
With those final words, the Great Spirit launched herself in an explosive leap.
In an instant, she reached the sky above and soared off into the distance.
(Another form of justice, huh.)
The Great Spirit's actions throughout had gone beyond her role as a defensive mechanism.
There had been no need for her to go this far, in principle.
She was cheering for me, personally.
No amount of gratitude would ever be enough.
Someday, I would have to repay this debt.