"There are four shrines to the Great Spirit in this town. Since they're tall buildings, you shouldn't get too close if you're careful, but please be cautious, Hikaru."

"Ah, so if that yakisoba stand was out of bounds, that means staying outside a 100-meter radius should be safe, right?"

"Yes, I discreetly asked a priest during my last break, and apparently the Great Spirit can sense someone they favor from about 100 meters away. Still, it's better to keep a bit of extra distance from the shrines."

"I'll be careful."

It was so natural I almost missed it, but Reflair was using the Earth term "meter." Probably because the auto-translation was running, converting it naturally to local units, yet her voice sounded to me like Japanese. It was strange.

Or rather, I was mistaken into hearing it in Japanese. Of course, she couldn't possibly be speaking Japanese, nor would she know what a meter is.

I'm a little afraid—what if this translation suddenly disappears?

Is there anyone who started without auto-translation?

"By the way, how strong is a great spirit in battle? Any records of humans defeating one? I should find out if I can escape using the Darkness Fog, just in case I accidentally get chased again—it'd make things a lot easier."

"Wait? No way, Hikaru, you're really reckless with your life... The Great Spirit is strong enough to defeat even a Demon King without a scratch, right? And I don't think there's any record of a human ever defeating the Great Spirit. In fact, the very idea of defeating them never even crosses most people's minds. ...You're surprisingly aggressive, Hikaru."

"Aggressive...? I just wanted to confirm, that's all. I don't want to get eaten, after all."

"The reason there's no record of anyone defeating the Great Spirit is because they're on our side. The Great Spirit is kind and gentle, you know. ...Though they do have a strong attachment to those they care about."

"That's exactly the problem..."

The being of darkness I encountered in that forest must have been the Great Spirit of Darkness. And the Great Spirit of Darkness effortlessly killed the Great Ape of Flame. Well, the ape was asleep at the time, so it was a surprise attack, but even so, it wasn't an ordinary opponent.

If there's no record of it being defeated, does that mean it might still be possible to overcome it?

Either way, I must be careful around the Great Spirit.

"Hikaru, have you ever been to the domain of the Great Spirit of Wind?"

"The east side, right? No, I haven't. Just farmland, isn't it?"

"Yes. And there's also a windmill. Have you seen one, Hikaru?"

"No... not really."

Actually, I have.

Back when I lived on Earth, there was a huge white wind turbine in my hometown for generating electricity.

But these windmills here in this world aren't like that, I suppose.

"Then, let's go take a look! I like that area—it has a great view."

With that, she half-forcefully began walking toward the eastern part of town.

A slightly forceful pull.

It wasn't unpleasant to be led by her like that.

Maybe it was because walking through the sunny daytime streets, warmed by a gentle, pleasant sun, was something I'd never experienced before.

As we passed through the water spirit's domain, where shops lined the streets, we suddenly entered the wind spirit's domain, opening up into vast farmland. The contrast was striking, yet strangely harmonious.

Perhaps that's just how things are in this world—the standard. A world where spirits and nature exist together. I'd never thought about that since arriving here, and it felt strangely profound.

Holding hands with Reflair, we walked along a narrow path beside the fields.

Fields stretched endlessly to the horizon, with hundreds of farmers busily at work.

Beyond the horizon, white mountains faintly peeked through, and the forest I had come from should be on the other side of those mountains.

The babbling brook shimmered in the afternoon light, beautiful to see.

"It's not as windy as I expected. I thought windmills would mean stronger winds."

"Actually, it's the opposite. We have the Great Spirit control the wind, preventing strong gusts, and only directing wind to the locations where windmills are placed."

"So they're used that conveniently..."

The Great Spirit is essentially a deity that arises from natural phenomena.

To use such a being as a convenient source of power—humans in this world are quite resourceful.

"Ah, I can see it now. The windmill."

Ahead of Refreia's pointing finger stood three windmills lined up side by side.

They weren't turning, perhaps because it wasn't the time to activate them, but they were enormous—about the size of a five-story building.

Their main structure was built by stacking square stones, while the windmill blades themselves were made of—

"Wait, is that material really mithril?"

"Ah, you caught on! It's light yet strong, resistant to rain, and won't rust, so that's why we use mithril."

"Looks like it'd be easy to steal…"

"If you tried stealing that, you'd probably be killed by the Great Spirit."

That was terrifying. No one would dare steal from the Great Spirit. In fact, trying to steal a metal plate that looked like it was ten meters long was impossible.

As we approached the windmills, they loomed so large it felt like we had to look up to see them.

Glancing inside briefly, it seemed to be used for grinding flour. Probably because wheat is grown around here.

Continuing on a roundabout path, I kept walking toward the region governed by the Great Earth Spirit.

The area under the Great Earth Spirit's dominion was mostly farmland.

"Ah, nice weather, isn't it? How about it? It's not bad to be out in the sunshine once in a while, right?"

"Yeah. Come to think of it, this kind of moment feels incredibly rare."

Walking through light so bright it hurt my eyes—when was the last time I'd done something like this?

Maybe it was the first time since arriving in this other world.

Looking back, I've already been here in this world for quite some time. And yet, up until today, I'd been stuck inside the labyrinth, unable to truly see or experience anything about this world.

(Truly beautiful... Was the world really this vibrant?)

I wished that coming to this alternate world was a dream, or some kind of mistake. I kept imagining that the real me was still in that other world, casually watching over the isekai migrants with my sisters.

But no matter how many times I woke up, I was always in a dark room at an inn.

It wasn't a dream, nor a mistake—this world was real.

I focused solely on winning the viewership race, hoping to forget this reality.

...But whether I won first place or not, this reality would continue until I died.

Right now, me being here.

Refleia smiling beside me.

All of this is real.

Only now, after all this time, did I finally realize it.

It was Refreia who made me realize this.

　

"If you're going to drag him out, do it by force. I don't know what's chasing Hikaru, but living like that—tense and strained all the time—has to be unbearable."

"Do I really seem that strained?"

"After all, Hikaru is so strong, the exploration is going smoothly, and he earns money easily, yet he never smiles."

That moment. After reading the message from Earth, I went crazy.

People who wished for my death were watching me. It was driving me insane.

Even though the exploration was going well and I had plenty of money, I could no longer feel any value in it.

But as she said, everything really is going smoothly.

I could even afford to smile.

　

"I learn something new from Refreia every time. Thanks."

Forcing a smile, Rireia looked as if she'd seen a ghost, then burst into a radiant, beaming smile.