Ch. 46 This piece of wood is not too cold (Part 3)

“Little Wood! Call me big sister, will you?”

“…”

“Don’t like the nickname ‘Little Wood’? Then how about I call you Mei Mei??”

“…”

“Mei Mei, say something, Mei Mei.”

“I am imagining the future after you become the Elden Lord.”

“Oh? What will it be like?”

“Probably an age of curses.”

“Ah, this…”

“Just kidding.” (Emotionless)

—

Mia put the ring that could summon Torrent on her index finger.

It was very strange; when Mia had just received the ring from Melina, she felt it was a bit too big.

But when she picked it up again to put it on, she suddenly discovered that the size of the ring was just right for her index finger.

After putting it on, there was no discomfort in her index finger, and the spectral ring felt as light as if it were nothing.

The young girl turned her left hand over, admiring it. Even if this ring didn’t have the ability to summon, it was still a very beautiful ornament.

So, how should it be used?

Unlike the other items in her possession, Mia had no memory of how to summon Torrent.

However.

To summon a horse, one should whistle, right?

Just like in other works of art, you blow a whistle, and the horse will come running.

Even if the person is on one end of the continent and the horse is on the other, a single whistle would make the horse teleport near the protagonist, and then it would appear from the protagonist’s blind spot, walking with a leisurely pace.

Mia swallowed hard, attempting to imitate it.

Placing the tips of her left thumb and index finger together, the young girl recalled a tutorial she had learned who knows how many years ago, and put the two fingers into her mouth.

Pressing the tip of her tongue against her upper front teeth, she blew.

Unsurprisingly, she sprayed spit all over her hand.

How unrefined!

Mia shook her hand, and refusing to believe it wouldn’t work, tried again.

“Whew————”

Ah, there’s a sound?

No, no, no, this is entirely her vocal cords making the sound, not her fingers and lips!

This is just a whistle sound she’s using to deceive herself.

Mia, who couldn’t whistle, cast a look of help towards Melina.

Then, she discovered that Melina, who had been crouching on the side, had vanished without a trace.

“Eh?” Mia blinked blankly, subconsciously calling out:

“Mei Mei?”

No one responded.

“Little Wood?”

Still no response.

“Melina!”

“I am here.”

The chestnut-haired girl suddenly appeared behind Mia.

“…You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” Mia looked at her in embarrassment and annoyance.

Ever since learning her true identity from Melina, Mia had become uninhibited.

“We’re all family, why be so distant?”

“This matter is still just a guess,” Melina put on an expression as serious as if a family member had just passed away: “Mother never told me anything else about you.”

“This is called deduction.” Mia retorted: “Alright, Melina, teach me how to summon Torrent!”

“…” Melina hesitated for a moment: “You only need to blow air towards that ring.”

“Like this?”

Upon hearing this, Mia hooked her left index finger, which wore the ring, and pressed the ring against her lips.

She blew.

The ring itself emitted a clear, loud whistle.

Torrent appeared the moment the sound rang out.

The spirit steed’s appearance was almost exactly the same as Melina’s, emerging from sparkling dust that felt very girlish.

The horned spirit steed appeared, taking light, nimble steps.

“Torrent?” Mia looked over in pleasant surprise, and Torrent responded with its bright, dark eyes.

“It was Torrent that led me to find you.” Melina watched this scene, hiding the gratification in her eyes deep within her heart.

Mia reached out her hand, and the spirit steed docilely brought its head over, pressing it into the young girl’s palm.

“Torrent says you remind it of its former master.”

Mia suddenly turned her head to ask Melina: “You can understand what Torrent says?”

“Yes.” Melina nodded.

“Both Torrent and I exist in the form of spirits, so we have some things in common.”

Torrent rubbed against Mia’s palm, lifted its hooves and took two steps back, then knelt down.

“It is asking you to ride it.”

“Is that so.”

Mia walked to Torrent’s side and cautiously sat on the saddle.

This was Mia’s first time riding a horse, but presumably, it shouldn’t be much different from riding a donkey.

She sat side-saddle on the saddle, and just as she was about to swing her other leg over, Torrent stood up.

Eh eh eh——

Torrent was much taller than Kalé’s little donkey, and Mia immediately grabbed tightly onto the pommel of Torrent’s saddle.

Feeling the young girl’s panic on its back, the spirit steed happily shook its head, letting out a joyful snort.

Carried by Torrent, they walked out of the forest.

Torrent’s steps were very steady, and after mastering her balance, Mia relaxed.

The horse’s back rose and fell with its steps, and sitting in the saddle felt just like sitting in a cradle.

Melina had disappeared again.

But she should still be nearby, right?

“Melina?”

No response.

Whatever, let’s just ask the question first.

“Melina, there is one thing I don’t know how to explain… that is, I seem to be able to travel across worlds.”

The young girl asked aloud to the empty air around her.

Melina suddenly appeared again, walking beside Mia.

“This is the most unique grace bestowed upon you by Queen Marika.”

“The most unique grace, huh…”

Mia looked towards the direction of the Erdtree.

If this is what Marika wants her to do, then she is willing to fight to repair the golden order.

As a traveler, the thing she must not forget is the origin of all this—where her power comes from.

Nothing comes without a price.

This is a trade; if it meant using her death in her previous life to exchange for such experiences, traveling through various worlds to gain power, and then becoming the Elden Lord to restore order to The Lands Between, then Mia was willing to accept this trade.

“Are there any other questions?” Melina suddenly asked: “If possible, please ask all your questions at once.”

“Huh?”

“Frequently appearing and disappearing is very troublesome.”

“I’m your older sister, don’t you even have this much patience?!”

“I have no comment.”

“Then why were you comparing heights with me just now!”

“If there are no more questions, I will vanish now.”

Although it sounded like she was asking for Mia’s opinion, Melina’s actions showed no sign of actually seeking one.

Little Wood vanished cleanly and efficiently.

Looking at Melina, who had disappeared once again, Mia could only sigh.

This Little Wood seems to have quite a personality, and is unexpectedly sharp-tongued.

However, being stoic and sharp-tongued go best together.