My head was swimming. The world tilted as I blinked my eyes open.
"You're awake," a soft voice said. "You lost consciousness while training. I brought you here to recover."
"Sorry for the trouble," I muttered, pushing myself up onto my elbows.
"Don't say that. Just rest well. I'm leaving now."
"Okay…"
She paused.
"How are you feeling right now?"
"Ai?" I stammered, scrambling to my feet. "Hey, wait a minute… you're not small anymore."
She stood there calmly.
She was elegant and tall, with waist-length, silky black hair framing her face. Her large, expressive eyes met mine, and she wore a black, white, and red jacket that fit her slender form perfectly.
"I guess it's because of your mana," she said, tilting her head slightly.
I couldn't stop myself. "You look so beautiful."
"E-Ehh? What? Just shut up!" she snapped, her cheeks flushing red.
"I thought you were making a spiritual body," I continued, still staring. "But this looks—and feels—real."
"It looks real because I crafted it that way," she replied, looking away. "But it won't last long."
"What do you mean?"
"I need to charge this body with energy periodically."
"Oh… I get it."
I glanced around the unfamiliar room.
"You don't know much about this world, right?" I asked.
"Yeah. Something like that."
"Want to go see it?"
"I don't mind," she replied, then added, "but you don't even have enough knowledge about this world."
"That's true," I admitted. "But let's go somewhere else."
She walked to the window and looked outside for a moment.
"Okay," she said. "I know a place nearby."
We stepped out of the mansion.
Oh, shoot.
I said we'd go see something, but I don't have a single coin.
What am I supposed to do? I can't even tell her I'm broke…
If only there was some kind of magic that could make money, that would be great.
"Hey," she said. "What are you thinking about?"
"Ah… you see," I said awkwardly, rubbing the back of my neck, "I don't actually have any money. So… what should we do?"
"I have some."
"What?" I blinked. "Where?"
She pulled out a simple ring and pressed it into my palm.
"Wear this."
"What is it?"
"It's a space ring. You can store anything inside it."
"Then why are you giving it to me?"
"I can't use it in this form right now. Wear the ring and say 'Money.'"
I slipped the ring onto my index finger. It hummed with a faint, ancient energy.
"Money," I whispered.
A heavy leather pouch appeared in my hand, filled with shimmering gold coins. It was heavier than I expected.
"Oh! How did the money just appear like that?"
"There's a fortune stored inside the ring," she explained. "You can use it anytime."
"…Okay," I said, staring at the gold.
"Interesting," she murmured.
"What?" I asked.
"Nothing."