"So, Jirou... What was that girl just now? She ran off towards town, but I've never seen her around here before."

Come to think of it, before I could explain the magic map to Rebecca-san, that bear showed up and everything got chaotic.

That said, even I don't really know who that girl was either.

Diana, who had silently watched the girl run off, finally spoke.

"...That was a Spirit, nodesu. As soon as Goshujin-sama retrieved the fruit, the surrounding spirit power formed that girl's shape. It's a phenomenon I've never seen either, so I don't know the details, nodesu..."

I see. So basically, she's a spirit created specifically for this quest?

Well, the quest got cleared in the end, so that's good—but it's still a confusing story.

Could it be that the quests on this magic map were originally prepared by the Great Spirit long ago?

But Efta said he tried one and couldn't clear it. If I remember correctly, it was a gathering quest for some kind of mineral or plant.

If the quest was still active, Efta should have been able to clear it too. Or maybe he just couldn't find the target mineral or plant in the first place?

...Well, there's no point thinking too deeply about the weird parts of this world.

In a fantasy world, you have to accept things as "it's like that because it's like that" for the sake of your sanity.

* * *

"Everyone! Are you all safe!?"

Panting heavily, a blonde girl came running up the hill.

Her side hair hung loose, while the hair down her back was tied up; a priest's hat perched on her head, making a sudden appearance in her cleric robe.

It was the ultra-cute Priestess-chan, making an unannounced visit.

"Priestess-cha...sama. What happened, coming all the way out here so suddenly?"

This was actually the first time I'd seen Priestess-chan outside the temple.

It's a whole new kind of cuteness.

It was hard to believe she was a great-grandma estimated to be over 100 years old.

As expected of another world's "It's like that because it's like that".

Whether she's 100 or 1000, cute is cute.

"I called her, nodesu."

Diana said nonchalantly.

I recall something similar happening before, too.

"Yes. I received an emergency rescue request via spirit communication from Diana-sama, so I rushed over... but it looks like you managed to get through it safely?"

"Uh, yes. We barely managed to defeat it somehow. I'm sorry you went to the trouble of coming all this way..."

It seems Diana panicked and called her for backup.

To be honest, considering how close the fight was, having Priestess-chan—who can actually use spirit magic, unlike 'someone'—would've helped a ton.

Still, I feel kinda bad.

Sorry about our Diana causing a fuss. Truly.

"A powerful entity appeared here? A being that even Shello and Rebecca would struggle with? But, it's still too early before Hitotsuzuki..."

It's not strange for Priestess-chan to be puzzled.

According to Shello-san, that bear is as strong as Hitotsuzuki's final boss.

In this area where the main monsters are weakest-class skeletons, the spawning of such a powerful monster is an abnormal situation.

Well... it spawned because of the magic map!

"Priestess, look at this. It was no ordinary magical beast, you know?"

Diana proudly showed Priestess-chan the bear's head-sized magic crystal.

"Eh... is this a magic core? Incredible, I've never seen one this big..."

Priestess-chan voiced her admiration at its size.

Even someone who's lived for untold centuries (I dunno her real age) has never seen one like this it seems.

"It's big and shiny black, isn't it? So a core this size is really rare, huh?"

(This is not what you think, okay?)

"Perhaps because I'm holed up in the temple I often see Spirit Stones, but it is rare for me to see a magic core itself. However, I have seen a few... but never one this size."

"I see. Never experienced one this big, huh."

(Definitely not what you think, okay?)

"Yes. A monster with a core like this must have been extremely powerful, wasn't it?"

"It was a formidable foe, of course. We were only able to win through sheer luck, I would say."

It really was a paper-thin victory.

"But Diana. If you called Priestess-sama, you could've at least told us. We might have fought differently... like buying time or something."

Not that stalling was really an option.

Still—information matters.

Fighting knowing you have reinforcements and fighting without are completely different things.

"...I'm not used to monsters, nodesu."

Diana muttered sulkily.

"Huh? I'm not used to them either."

This is only my second enemy after the skeletons. 

And with something that big—monster or not, a giant beast is terrifying on a biological level.

"Fufu, Jirou-san, that's not quite right. To elves, monsters—beings made of condensed magic essence—are environmental pollutants. For a pure-blooded elf like Diana-sama, a creature with a core this large appearing nearby would drastically thin out the surrounding spirit power. I, too, would probably lose my composure."

Is that how it is?

Come to think of it, when the bear appeared, she did seem unusually scared...

"For elves, the depletion of surrounding spirit power is said to feel closest to a sudden thinning of air for humans. It could be called the one and greatest weakness of the elven race."

"So that's how it is?"

"That's how it is."

Well, if that's how it is, then it can't be helped.

It's like that because it's like that.

"...By the way, Jirou-san. May I see your hand for a moment?"

Priestess-chan held out her right hand like she was about to read my palm.

When I placed mine on hers, she gently wrapped it with both hands, just like when she gave me the blessing long ago, and closed her eyes.

"...W-What's going on, Priestess-sama...?"

The mood turned weird.

Diana marched over, radiating ominous aura, opening and closing her mouth like she wanted to say something but kept stopping herself.

What are you two doing?

"Amazing... it's just as I suspected. As expected of you, Jirou-san. I can sense the sprout of a new Vocation. Even in my long life as a priest, only a handful reach this point. Congratulations, you are about to Class Cha—"

"—Priestess! That was what I was planning to do, nodesu. I won't allow it!"

Diana cut her off.

"Diana-sama, but matters like these should be handled by a priest—"

"No. I will do it. I want to do it... I was waiting quietly so I could do it when we were alone..."

"My apologies then. I didn't mean to interfere with Diana-sama."

"As long as you understand..."

The two elves began arguing about something.

"I don't know what's going on, but Diana seems strangely bossy toward the Priestess-sama."

I muttered without thinking.

"Eh? Could it be Jirou-san doesn't know?"

"I don't know."

According to Priestess-chan, who answered with a serene expression, a High Elf is essentially the Great Spirit's representative for the Priests of Lu Baraka, a symbolic figure above all priests.

In other words, it's like how the Emperor functions in Shinto.

I joked about her being a princess, but she may actually be far above even that.

* * *

Since Priestess-chan was already here, I figured I might as well ask about clans.

"Clans...? Clan, clan... I feel like I've heard of them somewhere before... Sorry, I can't quite remember. I have a memory of hearing about it during the handover from my predecessor..."

"Even you don't know, Priestess-sama?"

"I think we can find out if I inquire at the Grand Temple in the Imperial Capital. Could you give me a little time?"

"Yes, please."

Why do I keep getting these incomprehensible Divine Guidance quests... I wish something simpler would pop up. Like, 『Let's go pick some medicinal herbs!』 Something like that.

By the way, the Guidance I had now was—

As I summoned the Vocation Board with that thought, a new one had been added.

『Let's Class Up 0/1』

Ah, this is it. What Priestess-chan was starting to say, "Class cha...".

It clearly says "Class Up" but what Priestess-chan almost said was probably "Class Change"? Slightly different, but probably similar.

But a 『Class Up』, huh!

I don't know which vocation will be upgraded, but I'm super excited!

I'd love to get it done right away, but apparently Diana will be the one handling it. 

Does she need some preparation? And for that matter, can she even do it when she said she can only use Spirit Magic in a limited capacity?

In games, "Class ups" usually mean ranking up your job—like the [Swordsman] becoming a [Master Swordsman], or maybe a [Samurai] or a [Ninja]. Probably.

Ah... I get it now.

The reason Priestess-chan said "Class Change" is probably because calling it "Class Up or Class Down" implies a hierarchy of vocations, which she wanted to avoid.

So she used "Class Change", meaning the vocation simply transforms instead.

Well... it's kind of sophistry, but whatever.

Anyway, the currently listed Guidance quests are:

『Let's Class Up 0/1』

『Try Registering a Clan 1/2』

『Conduct Business with an Imperial Merchant 2/3』

『Visit the Mining Town 0/3』

『Visit the Lakeside Town 0/3』

『Acquire a Home of Your Own 0/1』

『Wheel of Fate? ・ ?????? 9/10』

It's probably because I wasn't very proactive about the Guidances, but I noticed quite a few have accumulated. I have seven of them!

Still, the only one that seems immediately clearable is the "Class Up".

Clan registration is still a mystery—depends on Priestess-chan's investigation.

Trading with an Imperial Merchant could be cleared just by trading with Efta, or perhaps Hetty-san. However, this could be used as an excuse to sell Efta something expensive, so I want to hold onto it a bit longer.

The Mining Town is probably the town at the foot of Lucraella Mine, which is relatively close to Erishe. I had been planning to visit soon anyway, but the progress shows 0/3.

The Lakeside Town is that scenic place famous for that eel called 'Heripai', or whatever it was called. No plans to go for now, though eventually I want to take everyone there for fun. I want to eat eel!

Regarding "Acquire your own Home", I truly don't understand why it hasn't cleared. Is that mansion not good enough?

The "Great Wheel of Fate" is also silent, with only the last step remaining.

But then again—why am I even completing these Guidance quests?

It goes without saying: For the Spirit Stones.

Spirit Stones can completely heal people who are on the verge of death, grant special effects to items, or make you younger. They are miraculous stones.

Their value here is about 20 gold coins, or about 3 million yen (approx. $20,000), but I can't even begin to imagine how much they would be worth on Earth.

The wealthy around the world would pay anything.

Well, they're just rocks without an elf to activate them, but still...

Anyway, point is: spirit stones are amazing, but also purchasable.

Twenty gold coins is a fortune, sure... But with my current income, I can buy one every other month if I feel like it.

And considering my business will expand even further... Instead of forcing myself to complete Guidance quests, it might be more efficient and far more reliable to just earn money and buy the stones.

—Which means completing Guidance quests is basically a hobby for me.

"I wonder if this magic crystal can be sold. If it can, I'd like to get equipment for the knight order. I also want to buy a Spirit Stone and have Diana carry it."

"You can sell magic crystals at Toby's place. But are you sure? A crystal of this size is not something you can just get whenever you want."

"Yeah, well... I don't really know what to use it for."

"Magic crystals are the same as a spirit stone. A lump of mana. There aren't any demonfolk around here, so you won't be using it anytime soon, but..."

Demonfolk? Another inscrutable term popped up.

"The demonfolk are a minority living in the south. They excel at handling mana and specialize in summoning magic. I fought them long ago—they were troublesome opponents."

Kind of like elves, then?

Elves excel at controlling spirit power, can draw power out of spirit stones, and specialize in spirit magic. They're strong in combat too. Similar profile.

If so, this magic crystal could be considered a huge version of a Spirit Stone.

Should I hold onto it then?

But I also have to repair Marina's armor that the bear damaged, and I need armor for myself. Rebecca-san doesn't have proper gear either, and I want to get weapons and armor for Elepipi. I could buy them with what I've earned from the business, but it would be better if I could secure a large lump sum of money.

Hmm...

Come to think of it, I also got a reward for clearing the quest.

It was ridiculously small—50 gold—which was heartbreaking, but did the bag contain about five gold coins? Feeling the bag in my hand, it seemed to contain only about five coins.

Peeking into the quest reward bag, there were indeed about five coins inside.

I took one out.

It wasn't a gold coin. Contrary to the name "Gold," it was a white coin.

It looked like the coin-shaped Ramune candy sold at old-fashioned candy stores. It felt heavy, though, so it couldn't be candy.

"Hmm? This isn't a gold coin, is it? Rebecca-san, do you know what this is?"

"...J-Jirou...? That. C-Can I take a look?"

"Sure, but do you know what it is?"

I handed one to Rebecca-san.

"...U-Uwa. W-w-w-wait, Priestess-sama, look! L-look at this!!"

Rebecca-san's eyes went wide, and she panicked upon seeing the coin.

"W-What's wrong, Rebecca? I've told you a proper lady should never lose her composure like that... Huh? ...Uwaaaaa! P-P-Pucelle Spirit Coin!?"

"P-Priestess-sama. Is it the real thing...?"

"Yes, it's genuine... Jirou-san, where on earth did you get this...?"

It seemed to be something incredibly valuable.

Now that I think about it, since it was the reward for a 1000-year-old quest, it was possible that it had become quite valuable in the present day.

I briefly explained how I acquired it.

Priestess-chan listened adorably, nodding "hmm, hmm," then let out a sigh.

"Jirou-san. This is money that is believed to have been used in the ancient Spirit Culture era, and it is called a Pucelle Spirit Coin. Although records show it was commonly circulated at the time, few specimens remain... it is incredibly valuable."

I see. A cultural relic, then.

“Valuable... meaning we can sell it for a high price?”

Right now, cash is better than a cultural relic. It would be lucky if it sells high.

"Yes. I believe one coin alone would be worth about 50 gold coins."

Eh?

50 coins?

Whoa, seriously!?

One gold coin is worth about 150,000 yen... Meaning this one little coin is worth 7.5 million yen!?

Since I have five of them, that's... around 37.5 million yen...

Woahhhhhh...

All I can say is that the money issue seems to be solved without even having to sell that huge magic crystal...

Alright. I'll sell about three of these coins.

Then clear one of the Guidance quests.

I'll head to the mining town of Lucraella for both buying equipment and a little vacation!